


Distant Memory

by epjindustries, katlanac, TitanPenStudios



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-07-28 00:08:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 54,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20054806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epjindustries/pseuds/epjindustries, https://archiveofourown.org/users/katlanac/pseuds/katlanac, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitanPenStudios/pseuds/TitanPenStudios
Summary: As he disappears from one world, Armin Arlert appears in the land of Berk where he relives the life of a certain Viking that changed the land of Berk forever. Life in Hiccup's shoes, however, wasn't like he expected to be as he is faced with something worse than Titans: Dragons





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we begin, I just wanted to quickly mention that we switch perspectives between first and third-person quite a bit in this story. First-person will always be Armin talking and we try to differentiate between the two with italicization. Thank you! -Shelby

_ Many people don't know about this. Either they refuse to accept this little fact, or they choose to ignore the inevitable, but there is a world beyond these stone walls. I know that deep down, past the vast ocean, there's an island swelling with many, unknown creatures for humanity to explore! I’ve always known.  
_

“Grandpa! Grandpa look!” a small boy called out excitedly as he burst into the room, holding an ancient book in his little palms. His grandpa, a tall, youthful man, smiled as the little boy eagerly jumped into his lap. Perhaps a little too forcefully, causing the older gentleman to grunt, then chuckle loudly.

“Well, look at you Armin!” he exclaimed. “Already excited for reading? It's not even your bedtime yet,” He gently removed the book from his grandson’s grasp and settled back into his chair. Armin snuggled closer to his grandfather’s chest and watched as the older man carefully turned the book over in his hands, reverently inspecting it.

“Look at the cover, Grandpa,” Armin insisted, pointing at the dusty face of the book. “Look! Look!” 

“Alright, alright!” his grandpa chuckled, brushing the dust from the black cover. Unlike most of the books Armin hoarded under his bed, this one had a stiff spine: a story that had yet to be poured over by the young intellect. What prompted his grandson to select such a foreign text confused the man, but glancing down at the jittery boy in his lap and following his gaze, he noticed Armin was latched onto the strange, red symbol that was etched into the cover. Underneath that was a scrawl of text in an ancient language, far beyond the boy’s grandfather’s knowledge.

His grandfather raised his brow. “Well,” he said softly, wonder brimming his voice, “would you look at that. I've never seen a book like this one before.”

“Read it to me, Grandpa!” Armin continued, bouncing impatiently. “Read it!”

Chuckling once more, amused by his grandson’s enthusiasm, the older man gently patted his shoulders in an attempt to calm him. “Be patient, my son.” He reached out to the counter to grab his glasses as the very patient child started fidgeting and squirming on his lap. The man felt his heart swell with love when he looked upon the young boy. He was so much like his parents: filled with a passion for discovery and a desire for exploration. It warmed the older man’s heart to see their legacy continue with their son.

He chuckled, adjusted his chair, then opened the book. Unlike the cover, the title page was written in their formal writing system, which arose confusion. 

“Are you okay, Grandpa?” Armin asked, suddenly worried. His grandfather startled, looking down to catch his grandson’s eyes. 

“I'm fine,” he assured, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Let's get to reading, shall we?”

“Yay!” Armin exclaimed, rising another chuckle out of his grandfather. 

“Let’s see… This book is titled ‘The Riders of Berk’” the man read as he flipped to the next page. “Somewhere in the vast ocean, there is an island named Berk where Vikings roamed and lived peacefully in nature.”

“Vikings?” the boy queried.

“Yes, Armin. Vikings.” 

“What are Vikings, Grandpa?”

“I… I am unsure.”

“You don't know?” Armin asked incredulously. His grandfather nodded and chuckled once more. 

“I’m afraid not, but I bet this book will tell us more if we continue reading with no further interruptions.”

“Oh! Okay!” The small boy made himself comfortable in his grandfather’s lap and stared at the book silently. For a moment, no words were spoken between the two, as if his grandfather was testing to see if Armin were truly ready to dive into this new world.

Finally, the silence was broken. “Berk was one of the many Viking civilizations around the world,” his grandfather continued. “But it was the only one that had dragons.”

“Dragons…” Armin murmured, his voice barely rising above a whisper, fascinated by the word. He flipped the page for his grandfather and read aloud. “Chapter One?”

His grandfather nodded firmly. “That's right, Armin. What we read was the ‘Author's Note’.”

“Author’s Note?”

“Yes.” he continued. “It’s a little note that the author wrote as a way to introduce the book.”

“Oh!” Armin paused. “Then who’s the author?”

“I don’t know,” His grandfather turned over to the title page. “Hiccup… Huh. That is a very interesting name.” 

“Cool!”

“Now, are you ready for the next part?” Armin hesitated, still pondering the previous page, before nodding suddenly. His grandfather turned the page. “‘There were dragons when I was a boy. There were great, grim, sky dragons that nested on the cliff tops like gigantic scary birds. Little, brown, scuttly dragons that hunted down the mice and rats in well-organized packs. Preposterously huge Sea Dragons that were twenty times as big as the Big Blue Whale and who killed for the fun of it.’

“‘You’ll have to take my word for it, for the dragons are disappearing so fast, they may soon become extinct.’”

“Do you think the Titans killed all of the dragons?” Armin queried somberly and was met with a shrug. 

“Maybe. We’ll never know until we keep moving forward, right?” Armin nodded. “I agree. Where were we? Ah! ‘Nobody knows what is happening. They are crawling back into the sea from whence they came, leaving not a bone, not a fang, in the earth for men of the future to remember them by.’

“‘So, in order that these amazing creatures should not be forgotten, I will tell this true story from my childhood.’”

Armin’s eyes widened with childlike wonder. “True?”

“Anything is possible in this world, my son. Dragons. Titans. Human war. It’s all a part of our history and our future.”

Armin quietly went over his grandfather’s words in his mind before looking up at him excitedly again. “What happens next?”

_ This book interested me. It gave me hope that there was a world beyond these stone walls: a world filled with flying creatures called dragons. The next day, I told Eren of my discoveries and he became more fascinated than when I told him about the outside world. Every day, I would pick up that book and read about the world of Berk just so that I could get a glimpse of what it was like to live in the outside world. That’s when I thought dreams were worth living for, worth working towards. Nowadays, however, this dream has become less and less of a goal, but more of a distant memory: a grim reminder of what I lost that day the wall fell. Or that’s what I had thought. _

_ Did I really lose that Distant Memory? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, thank you for taking the time to read this story! I'm Shelby (aka katlanac) and I'm just one half of Titan Pen Studios, my friend Eli being the second half. We co-wrote this story together and we're very excited to share it with you all!
> 
> If you're interested, we have an animatic trailer available on my channel (skyrules177) that will give you a sneak peek as to what's to come. Eli did all of the drawings and we recruited some talented voice actors to help bring the video to life. I highly recommend giving it a watch if you have the time.
> 
> Also, tune in every other week on Wednesday for a new chapter! We've already finished writing the story so we plan on releasing new chapters consistently. Although, if you come back later today, we are posting an additional chapter just for fun.
> 
> Thank you all again for reading and I hope you enjoy our story!


	2. Chapter One

_ I don’t remember much of this occasion, but I know enough to know that what I went through was more than just a dream. It all felt… Too real.  _

_ The year is 850, and The Scouting Legion had decided to retake Wall Maria with the help of Eren Jaeger. Recently, Eren had managed to gain the hardening power, similar to one The Armored and The Female Titan possessed. Because of this, Commander Erwin has decided to go and plug the hole in Wall Maria, just as we had done with Wall Rose in what felt like an eternity ago. However, we knew we weren't alone; somewhere out there, lurking in the ruins of our childhood home, we knew Bertolt and Reiner were waiting for our arrival. _

_ This place isn’t the same anymore. What used to be grand houses with streets flourishing with markets and performers, is just a massive graveyard for those who weren’t as lucky as we are. _

“What now, Armin?!” Jean screamed as he stood on the shoulder of Eren’s Titan form. “Are we all going to wait here until one of those burning houses falls on us?” 

_ I woke up from my sudden daydream, remembering the time this place had flourished with life and bright colors. Now, it’s nothing but a graveyard: gradually burning away at the feet of the Colossal Titan.  _

“Wait! What about Hanj?” Connie exclaimed, his eyes glistening with fear. 

“Did they really die in that explosion?” Sasha continued, stealing the words from Connie’s mouth. 

“We don’t know,” Mikasa said. “But that’s not important. What’s important right now is to focus on Bertholdt. Knowing him, he won’t give us time to go rescue them. Until then…” Mikasa turned her gaze over to the small boy that was besides her, placing her hand over his shoulders. “We will be taking orders from you, Armin.”

_ My heart started racing rapidly as I felt everyone's gaze fall upon me. Me? Give orders? I’m not capable of that! _

Armin gulped as he felt this new weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders. 

“A- alright… W- we’ll retreat and head towards Commander Erwin’s group so that we can get orders from him,” Armin decided, visibly shaking and sweating. “We’ll continue with the original plan to waste the Colossal Titan’s energy until the target appears. His giant body can’t make it across the wall.”

“But wait!” Jean interrupted. “We can’t let Bertholdt get close to the Commander’s location! He’s torching up the place Armin! Just because there’s a wall in between us and him, that won’t secure his safety! We still share the same sky!”

“O- oh…”

“The fire will spread to the houses inside the wall. It’ll create a difficult situation for the commander because he’ll be trapped between a wall of fire and the Beast Titan!” Jean continued. “Yes, your tactic of retreat is the best way to defeat the Colossal Titan, but we have limited supplies and we’re low on gas. Unfortunately, time isn’t on our side Armin.”

“J- Jean…” Armin stammered. “Are you implying that we have to take down the Colossal Titan now? With only our strength?” Burning pieces of rubble crashed into the neighboring house, frightening the 104th Cadet Squad. Anxiously, they all faced Armin.

“The fire is getting close!” 

“We need your orders now!”

_ I stood there, scared for my life as my comrades screamed at me. Then I remembered Bertholdt’s words before all of this had occurred. “I know for a fact that so long as you are standing there, you won’t be able to do anything.”  _

“Jean…” The blond finally said, dropping his scared gaze down to the burning ground before him. “Could you perhaps take over for me…?”

“What?!”

“I don’t know what we're supposed to do here,” Armin supplied quickly. “The reason why we’re even having this discussion is because I misread Bertholdt earlier!” He paused. “You’re more capable to do this more than I am, Jean… So please, take charge.” 

“Tch! Fine!” Jean said as he pointed his sword to the flowing river on the other side of the city. “Everyone get on Eren and conserve your gas! We’re going to the river! Sooner or later we'll have to make that bastard chase us! Until then, try not to get found Eren.” 

“Roger!” Everyone said as they clutched to some part of Eren’s titan body. 

_ Shame coursed through me as I inched closer to accepting my defeat. Everyone trusted me into leading them into an easy victory, but, once more, I have disappointed them by handing down that power to Jean. I couldn’t help but tear up, thinking of the failure that I have brought to my team, my comrades, my family…  _

“Armin…” Jean said as he grabbed a hold of a strand of the titan’s hair. “I may be able to read this situation carefully, but that doesn’t mean I have a plan to get us out. In the end, I’m going to have to rely on you,” Armin gulped and tightened his own grip as Eren crawled through the city. 

_ Rely on me? Why would he want to rely on me? I didn’t understand what was going on. I thought I had failed, I thought I had lost the respect of my peers for being weak when they needed me the most. What difference would it make anyway? Jean and I are basically the same when comes to tactics right?  _

_ I thought wrong. _

“Yell, Eren!” Jean ordered firmly, shaking Armin from his muddled thoughts. “Don’t let Bertholdt get to the wall!” Eren obliged and roared his lungs out. Armin caught sight of the new leader, looking on anxiously, hoping that his new command would distract the titan long enough to think of their next plan of attack. The Colossal Titan gazed at the group, making them smile before looking back at his target, immediately taking away their hopefulness with him. 

“He ignored us?” Jean asked in shocked disbelief. “He must’ve figured out that we don’t want him going there!”

“What do we do now Jean?” Connie asked frantically. “At this rate he’ll-”

“Don’t you think I know that?!” Jean retorted angrily, his grip tightening around the strand of Eren’s hair tangled in his fingers. “Eren! We’re going to have to stop that beanpole in his tracks!”

"But how?” Sasha called out. “The hot steam he produces prevents us from using our ODM gear!”

“I know that! But we have to do everything in our power to figure out his weakness!”

“You guys distract him!” Mikasa said as she stood firm and tall. “I’ll attack him with everything I got! Give me the Thunder Spear, Connie!”

“A- alright.” Connie obliged, tossing her the gear as she caught it and began equipping it. Armin leaned forward, attempting to input his own thoughts into the rapid decision-making process happening before him, but he was stopped promptly by Jean turning in his direction.

“Armin, stay back!” Jean said. “And stop your crying, for God’s sake! We need you to figure out our next course of action!”

Armin blinked, surprised that he had been trusted with their planning once more. He nodded wearily. “A- Alright…!”

“Everyone scatter, now!” Jean ordered. The remaining cadets leapt from the safety of Eren’s protection and headed to their assigned positions. Armin jumped from his spot and landed shakily on top of a nearby building.

_ Like he ordered, I stayed back to watch from a distance. I couldn’t help but stare regretfully towards my friends, eagerly sacrificing their lives for humanity as I stood back and did nothing. I suppose it made sense; I was the weak one after all. And the weak always needed to be protected.  _

_ I saw Eren push back one of the Colossal Titan’s legs, receiving a cheer from our comrades as they zipped around nearby, guarding his position. That success was short lived, however, as he kicked back, sending Eren soaring to the top of the wall.  _

The cadets came to a stop, looking fearfully towards the top of the wall, anticipating movement from Eren. Nothing. In the distance, Armin could hear his friends shouting to one another.

“E- Eren! He’s not moving! ” Mikasa yelled

“He’s not dead, you hear me?! “ Jean screamed to her. “Just concentrate on the monster in front of us! We need to turn this around or...” He gulped. “Humanity will be doomed.” 

_ I tried to analyze the situation quickly, locking my sight on Bertholdt, then on Eren. Jean was right; if I didn’t think of a plan soon, all of humanity would be doomed to extinction.  _

“Even so,” Jean continued, “We’re not going to sit here and do nothing! Get ready to attack!” The cadets shouted their affirmations. “He doesn’t know about our lightning spears! This will be our advantage! Sasha, Connie and I will distract him! Mikasa, use the opening to attack!”

_ “Roger!” They all called out, heading towards their target. I watched intently from the safety of my rooftop, my eyes darting between my friends and towards the one I had once considered a friend. While Jean, Sasha, and Connie screamed insults at his face, Mikasa sneaked up from the back. For a moment, I became hopeful. I was confident in my comrades ability to make the Colossal Titan pay for all the damage he had done. My hopes, however, were quickly discarded as the plan unraveled before my eyes. Bertholdt managed to make the Thunder Spear ineffective as he released off thick clouds of hot steam, creating an impenetrable, deadly bubble of heat around him. I winced as I heard my friends pained screams erupt alongside the steam. _

“Connie!” Sasha shouted, reaching towards Connie as he coughed roughly into his jacket. 

“Shit…” He mumbled. “If you breathe it in, you’ll burn your throat.”

The cadets scrambled away from the menacing titan and retreated to the rooftop where their last hope stood.

“Mikasa!” Armin yelled as the young warrior landed next to him, pressing her palm into her side as blood seeped through her jacket. “You’re hurt!” 

“I’m fine,” she assured quickly. “I just got hit by some shrapnel from the Thunder Spear. But that’s not the point! Did you do it?”

Armin cocked his head. “Huh? Do what?”

“Did you come up with a counterattack?”

_ I stood there quiet again, thinking of a definitive answer. “No…” I said as everyone looked at me disappointment once again. Then there, at the corner of my eye, I saw another challenge I had to face. _

“Shit… He really rose from the dead.” Jean said, dropping down to his knees. “How… How are we supposed to beat him?” 

“We can’t,” Sasha responded miserably, leaning against Connie as he continued to cough violently.

_ I stared at the Colossal Titan in awe. Something was different, very different.  _

“He’s skinnier.”  _ _ Armin concluded, his eyes still locked on the titan before them.

“What?” Jean asked.

“The Colossal Titan got skinnier. Hanji was right! The Colossal Titan really is susceptible to drawn-out battles!” Armin faced his comrades, almost excitably. “It’s just like what happened with Eren and the experiments! He was only able to transform three times before he lost control! And he was also able to harden his entire body twice! So if that’s the case for a 15-meter titan, then the chances of Bertholdt losing muscle is much greater! He’ll only be a bunch of bones if he continues releasing hot steam!”

“What are you saying Armin?” 

“I have a plan,” Armin continued. “I need you all to distract Reiner while Eren and I defeat Bertholdt! Just the two of us.” 

It was silent as the rest of the cadets processed this new load of information. Jean shook his head, opening his mouth to disagree, but Mikasa interjected first.

“Alright,” she said with a smile. “I trust your judgement. Leave Reiner to us.”

Jean looked at Mikasa in disbelief, but saw the determination and confidence in her eyes. He sighed heavily and nodded. “Took you long enough Arlert. You had me thinking that it was all over for us.”

_ I smiled at Jean before jumping from the building and zooming towards my target, glancing downwards at my burning hometown below me. As I approached the wall that we had so foolishly thought would protect us from all of this destruction, I looked back to see my friends one last time, wondering what their reactions would be if my plan actually succeeded. Maybe then, they would no longer see me as a burden they had to carry in the field of battle. _

_ I collided with the wall and began making my way upwards, my mind drifting to what Eren had told me before we arrived here. “I don’t know why, but… I feel the strength well up inside me whenever a plan talks about gaining my freedom back.” _

“If this plan works, I guess I’ll never get to see the ocean…” Armin whimpered. He pulled himself to the top of the wall grappled to Eren’s body. “How is it that every time I think about the ocean...I suddenly gain a burst of confidence?” 

_ Using that newfound confidence, I drove my blade into Eren’s chest, bringing him back to his senses. “Eren! Wake up!” I screamed. “We’re going to the ocean! Together!” I explained to him my plan, omitting the details about my sacrifice. He didn’t need to know that this would likely be our last moment together. _

_ “I came up with this plan myself. Everything depends on how much I can take.” I continued as I felt his worrisome stare fall upon me. “I’m sorry Eren, but I have to see the ocean first before I die. S- so I’m going to stop before things get very bad. I need you to handle the rest, okay? B- Because… you know very well I was never that brave.”  _

_ I felt like crying at that moment. I didn’t think this would be how I shared my last words to my best friend. I swallowed back my pain, resolving to remain strong for the both of us in these final moments. “Didn’t we promise to go see the ocean together? Have I ever lied to you, Eren?” _

_ That was my first ever lie to Eren. The fact that I would never see the ocean with him crushed my heart, but I had to do it. I had to go with the plan. For humanity. For my friends. _

_ “Stick to the plan, Eren. No matter what!” I knew he was against it, but he still followed my orders as he fell down. A shadow fell on me as Bertholdt’s hand approach from above, so I quickly jumped off and made my way towards his face. I grappled to his teeth, hoping that it wouldn’t dislodge my anchors. He started to release steam, probably as hot as the steam that powered our steamboats, maybe even hotter. I covered my face to increase my visibility and saw that my prediction was correct. Bertholdt must’ve figured out my strategy, because he released more hot steam. I felt my body fly back and my skin slowly burn and peel off. I felt exposed and in pain, but I didn’t care. I had to hold on for a little longer.  _

_ Don’t… Let… Go…  _

_ Entrust… it all… to Eren… _

_ My dream… My life… _

_ Everything… _

_ The only thing… I can give… is this… _

_ I know… Eren… can go… see the… ocean…  _

Armin released his anchors and toppled towards the earth below, falling in and out of consciousness. _ _

_ My mind…  _

_ My soul…  _

_ My body…  _

** _He’ll see the ocean for me_ **


	3. Chapter Two

_ Almost as quickly as my world began to vanish, I felt the warmth creep into my body again. But this time, it was cozy. Comforting even. Was it all just a nightmare? It was quiet and subtle, but in the distance I could hear chaos. One would hardly notice it over their own breathing. But it was there, slowly pulling me from my state of unconsciousness. _

There was a deep rumbling in the darkness: an intermingling of beasts roaring and people shouting. As Armin began to arise from his slumber, the room around him became clearer, as well as the faint glow from the burning village outside of his window. He jumped to his feet in a panic, pushing a thin sheet of furs off his bed before running to the window. 

_ Something isn’t right. Everything felt foreign to me. I didn’t like feeling in the dark. It scared me. _

Instead of looking out into the city streets of Trost or even the ruins of Shiganshina, he was met with a primitive village made from wood and rusted metal. Below him, warriors scattered, brandishing steel weapons and chasing after the shadows of the creatures that loomed viciously above them. Armin looked up cautiously, holding back a gasp as several, gigantic dragons flew overhead, spitting out columns of fire and lava to the village below.

_ Where are the walls? Eren? Bertholdt? Where am I? I desperately scanned my surroundings, analyzing my situation. _

A man stopped below Armin’s window and waved frantically. “What are you doin’, Armin? They’ve been lookin’ for you down at the forge!”

_ The forge? Who are “they”? And why does this all feel so familiar? I could hardly think over the pounding in my skull, and the temperature was only growing hotter as the flames that were surrounding me had gotten more aggressive. _

“Where am I?” Armin questioned immediately, ignoring the man’s pleas. He was met with a look of disbelief that quickly morphed into anger.

“Now’s not the time to joke around! We need weapons! Make yourself useful for once in your life and go!” The man gestured to a building no more than fifty meters away that was, thankfully, untouched by the blazing fires that seemed to have imprisoned the rest of the island. Armin swallowed heavily, forcing the lump in his throat to fall into his stomach before turning on his heel. He hesitated in the room, scanning it methodically before spotting a pair of brown fur boots tossed carelessly by the door frame. He made a mad dash towards them, pulling them on as quickly as he could, before making his way downstairs.

“Maybe there will be answers at the forge. At least, I hope there will be.” He gulped as he headed towards the door. “I could really use a friendly face right about now.”

Armin ripped the front door open, only to fall frozen in his tracks. Before him stood a nasty creature, murder flashing in its amber eyes. It was a dragon of considerable size, decorated in rows of sharp, almost quill-like, spines. It reared its head back and opened its fanged mouth. Sparks crackled against its throat and the room suddenly got unbearably hot.

“Oh shi-!” Regaining his senses, Armin slammed the door shut as the dragon attacked and stumbled backwards. When the dragon had stopped bombarding the smoldering door with its flames, it roared, almost as if to warn Armin of what was in store if he were to leave the comfort of the home he didn’t recognize. The dragon bounded off as flames began to consume the interior of the home. Armin searched desperately for some sort of water source, but fell short on luck. Instead, he took notice of a window, barely pushed ajar. Sucking in his remaining courage, he ran towards it, throwing it open all the way and jumping through it with agility he didn’t even know he possessed.

_ “Fifty meters. That’s all I have to make. And then… Maybe I’ll be safer?” I mumbled as I ran with all my might. I still didn’t know what was going on, and whatever twisted version of Hell I was in. I couldn’t seem to find a way out… If there even was one. _

Armin weaved in between houses and kept his eyes fixated on the sky around him. It seemed as if most of the dragon activity was focused in the center of the village, which sparked curiosity, but also gratitude for the clear path that was marked from his home to the forge that he hoped promised safety.

Armin burst through the door of the forge. He bent over, catching his breath, still trying to make sense of the chaos when someone grabbed him by the shoulders. He looked up, startled and a sense of dread overwhelmed him as he stared into the face of a cold-blooded killer. 

_ “W- what are you doing here?! Is this how I’m going to die?! Did I run straight into a trap?!” were the questions that I asked myself as I came face to face with The Armored Titan. I had hoped that Mikasa and the others held him off… but then again… _

“Easy there, Arlert,” Reiner soothed, his voice hitching with amusement. “Can’t have you dying on me just yet.” He reached over to a nearby hook and removed an apron before presenting it to Armin. “Bertholdt is distributing weapons. I need you to start making some swords.”

“Why… Who…” Armin couldn’t find the words. Who could in a situation like this? But once more, his pleas for clarification fell upon deaf ears. Reiner delivered another firm pat to the blond’s shoulders, causing him to yelp.

“Save it for when the village isn’t being toasted, yeah?” He pivoted and migrated towards the other end of the forge while Armin remained in his place, dumbfounded and still clutching the dirty, worn apron in his trembling hands. Reiner looked up at him and frowned. “Well? Don’t just stand there! Get to work!”

_ I stumbled at the sudden shift in his voice. Rather than the playful tone he maintained earlier, this one was filled with urgency. An explosion shook the forge violently, bringing me back from my trailing thoughts. _

Armin pulled on his apron and drifted towards the hearth. While he wouldn’t dare consider himself a blacksmith in the slightest, he had taken it upon himself to study the art in his free time. So, relying completely on that knowledge, Armin got to work. He grabbed sheets of metal and drove them into the flames.

Near the hearth was an open window, displaying the ferocity of the villagers in action as they ran from their houses, chased down dragons, and defended their own. Their bravery was quite remarkable and if Armin weren’t so confused and in peril, he would have been enamored by the scene before him.

He removed the heated metal and brought it to an anvil and began pounding on it to shape a sword. As he did so, the door to the forge opened and Bertholdt ran in, accompanied by Jean angrily calling out behind him.

“…Can’t defend a village with a splinter!” Jean shouted and Bertholdt nodded quickly.

“I know, I know, we’re working on it but Armin…” Bertholdt stopped when he noticed the smaller blond and he sighed in relief. “You’re finally here! Thank Thor.”

“Thor?” Armin questioned quietly before Jean spoke again, his voice seething with an emotion Armin could only describe as disgust.

“You better have a new sword for me, Arlert. My last one broke when I drove it into some Nadder’s head.”

_ Nadder. I’ve heard that before. God, where have I heard that before? Why can’t I think?! _

Armin winced at the mention of the slaughter and returned his focus to his shoddy craftsmanship. It was hardly a sword. A curved dagger at best. He shook his head and before Jean could unleash his frustration, Reiner stepped in and dropped a battle axe into his hands.

“This will have to do, now get out of here!” he called and Jean rolled his eyes before charging out the door, immediately engaging in a brawl with another dragon, this one slightly smaller than the one that had attacked Armin earlier, but still dressed in those thick, spines. “What’s wrong, Armin? You’re usually more on top of things.”

Armin shrugged. “I have no clue what’s going on,” he admitted and Reiner managed a smile.

“Still waking up?” he guessed, but before Armin could answer, another entered the forge: a friendly face that Armin had been longing to see.

“Chief says their numbers are dwindling but we need more hands on the fire brigade,” Eren said firmly as he marched in. “There isn’t a single building on the island that isn’t in flames. Except this place, of course.”

“Eren,” Armin began, but was once more, cut off. Eren made eye contact with his friend, relief flashing in his eyes, but nothing more. He was silent.

_ That’s weird. Is he mad at me? What did I do to make Eren mad? I still couldn't really understand the situation I was in with all the fiery commotion that was occurring around me, but I clearly knew that whatever I did, Eren would have confronted me to get the other side of the story; but he didn't. Something is definitely wrong. _

“I’ll join you,” Bertholdt insisted.

“Right. You two should be fine then?” Eren nodded towards Reiner and Armin. Reiner affirmed this assumption and the other two men quickly exited. Armin dropped the sword he was making and ran to the door to call out once more to Eren, but fell silent as more familiar faces ran by.

Sasha and Connie shouldered buckets brimming with water as they doused the nearest house. Mikasa emerged from a burning hut, carrying a small child in her arms and gently handing them over to their worrying parents. Marco joined Sasha and Connie with two more buckets, completely quelling the flames of the house before they moved to the next one.

Then _ she _ appeared. Adorned in the most glorious, warrior apparel, Annie Leonhardt ran past the forge, a sword and shield in hand, tailing one of the scaly creatures above: the same creature that had tried to take Armin’s life earlier. The surrounding chaos seemed to quiet as Armin studied her. The dragon landed and she approached methodically, raising her sword as the dragon hissed and opened its mouth to conjure more fire. Before he saw her bring her sword down, Reiner yanked him from the doorway and brought him back inside.

“No way,” he said firmly. “The Chief would _ kill _me if he saw you out and about during an attack. You’re staying in here, right where I can see you.”

“We have to go save Annie!” Armin insisted. _ I never thought I would say those words. _

“She’ll be fine! Gods, I don’t know what’s up with you today,” Reiner responded, “but we don’t have time for this. Finish making that sword and then…”

A shrill shriek tore through the air and both of the men covered their ears as someone from outside shouted, “Night Fury! Get down!”

Not long after, an explosion echoed across the village and a bright, purple light flashed outside the window. Beams of wood on a nearby watch-post crashed to the earth as the warriors scattered for safety.

_ Suddenly, things started clicking in my brain. The dragons. The warriors -- Vikings! The way the others kept me from the fight. And that all-too familiar call of the “Night Fury”. The scene had once played itself out in words on a page in a book that I once loved. The one my grandfather had read over and over to me. The story of a Viking boy training dragons: The Riders of Berk. I wasn’t just in a strange place; I was in someone else’s story! _

_ But… How? _

Reiner interrupted Armin’s train of thought with a string of curses. “Great Odin’s Ghost, they brought in a Night Fury? They’re not just here to steal our sheep. They’re out for our lives!” He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and gathered his weapons: a new battle-axe and a quiver filled with arrows accompanied by a steel bow. “Change of plans, Arlert. I’m going out there to take down that devil. You stay here. Don’t light anything on fire, and for Thor’s sake, _ don’t leave the forge _.”

Reiner exited the building before Armin could hold him back.

“Oh God, oh God… What am I going to do?!” Armin mumbled loudly to himself. “I can’t be left alone in here. But if this truly is Hiccup’s story then…”

Armin felt his heart skip a beat and he grabbed onto the nearest table to stabilize himself.

“Oh no, Toothless!”

Armin pushed himself off of the table and bolted out the door, completely disregarding his safety for what felt like the hundredth time.

As Armin pushed through throngs of raging Vikings, he was bashed with their harsh words. 

“What are you doing out here?”

“Get back inside!”

“Armin the Useless!”

_ I let the insults fly by me as I scanned my surroundings, seeing the glint of the steel arrows on Reiner’s back as he charged up the cliffside. My breathing continued to grow more labored, my lungs unaccustomed to this much physical activity, but I couldn’t find it in my heart to slow down. _

Reiner finally stopped at the top of the cliff and retrieved an arrow from his quiver, pulling it back against his bow as he studied the sky intently. With the tip of his arrow, he followed the blue glow of the Night Fury's burning flames that were now igniting more and more houses. It wasn't until a fireball started heading his way that Reiner let the arrow flee his hands and rip through the sky. 

“Reiner, no!” Armin yelled, pushing Reiner out of the way as the arrow disintegrated into ash and the fireball crashed into the earth, where Reiner had been standing just seconds earlier. 

“Armin what the hell?! I thought I told you to stay in the forge!” He yelled back. 

_ It took me a while to realize what I had done. In my eyes, I just saved a friend from burning into a crisp. For Reiner, however, it looked like I didn't want him to kill Toothless, which was the case, but I didn't need him to know that. _

“I…” Armin took a second to regain his composure before speaking to the blacksmith in front of him. “I couldn't let you die! The Night Fury's flame is one of the hottest of them all right? It can burn through anything! If your arrow somehow managed to go through its blast, it wouldn't have been strong enough to make a dent! I just saved you from being a burnt log!” 

_ Sure, let's go with that. _

“I told you to stay in that damn forge!” Reiner shouted, clearly not moved by Armin’s act of “bravery”.

“Did you not hear me Reiner? I just saved your life!”

“By risking yours? Your father would have killed me if you had died just now!” He continued, still seething at his lost kill. “Plus, let the Night Fury go!”

“But I saved you! You can get it next time!” 

“There isn't going to be a next time,” he stood up, grabbed the small boy by the collar of his shirt and started angrily marching back towards the forge, ignoring the boy’s strangled pleas to let him go. 

The destruction was starting to calm, but there were still dragons in the area that threatened to light the island up again. Reiner threw the forge door open and forced Armin inside before slamming the door shut behind the two. Quietly, Armin returned to the hearth to finish the sword he had started on, but it had cooled down, so he had no choice but to start again. 

From across the forge, Armin heard Reiner’s angry grunts as he pounded scraps of metal into submission: clearly one of his tried and tested methods of calming down.

_ Maybe it’s best if I stay quiet for the rest of the night. At least, until I figure out everything. I grabbed some heated sheets and started to forge another sword. _

The shouting of angry Vikings and the roaring of bloodthirsty dragons slowly diminished as more and more houses were drenched with water. The older Vikings started to gather around at the center to figure out the amount of damage they took this time around and how much needed to be repaired. The young dragon slayers-in-training stayed behind and drowned the rest of the burning embers in more water. 

“Is that the last of it?” Jean asked as he carefully studied his surroundings. 

“That’s all of it!” Both Connie and Sasha replied as they gave each other a congratulatory high-five. 

“Don’t celebrate yet,” Annie said as she tossed her empty water bucket to the side. “We still need to make sure that there are no dragons lingering around here before we can say ‘mission accomplished.’”

“Can’t we have it easy for one night, Annie?” Connie asked, groaning. 

“Not unless you want the blood of more sheep on your hands.”

“Ugh. Fine”

“Sasha and Connie, check the southern port,” Annie instructed firmly, “Jean check the arena, and Marco check the north side of town. I’ll stay here and check both the east and west sides of town.”

“Are you sure you want to search the area by yourself?” Marco asked. “We can ask Eren and Mikasa to search the west while you search the east.”

“Tch. Not a chance, Marco.”

“But-”

“Relax, buddy!” Jean said as he wrapped his arm around Marco’s shoulders. “You’re talking to Berk’s next academy graduate! Annie is as fierce as a dragon herself! She’ll be fine.”

Annie rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Jean, for the unnecessary and unwanted support.”

“Anything for you, Princess.” He winked, sending shivers down her spine. 

“Meet me back here when you guys are done.” The small group broke up and headed to their respective locations. Armin, instead of making his sword, just stood and stared at the female in awe. 

_ “Has Annie always been this... attractive?” I asked myself, staring at how she walked, admiring the way she talked and gave orders. I’ve always looked up to Annie during training because she was so strong and her fighting techniques were one of a kind. That’s why it had taken me a month to fully embrace the idea that she was the Female Titan… But now… she’s like a goddess. _

“I want to marry her one day,” Armin mumbled to himself, smiling goofily as he leaned against the hot, molten iron before him, setting the sleeve of his shirt on fire. 

“Armin,” Reiner said as he continued to pound his hammer against hard steel.

“Yeah?” He said still captured by Annie’s presence, unaware of the small flame rising up his sleeve.

“You’re on fire.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I haven’t even finished my first sword yet.”

“No Armin. You’re literally on fire.”

_ “What?” I said, looking down at my arm. That’s when I noticed the not-so-very small flame burning through my sleeve. In a panic, I started blowing on it to extinguish it, but it only made it worse. Before the flames could reach my skin, I took off my shirt and threw it on the ground, stomping on it furiously. _

Reiner chuckled. “That’s what you get for not focusing on your job, Armin! Looks like someone has the ‘hots’ for Annie!”

“S- shut up!” Armin blushed as he picked up his shirt to assess the damage. He sighed heavily and balled it up. “There goes my favorite shirt…” 

“Ah who needs a shirt anyway?” Reiner said, putting down his hammer down and taking off his shirt in awkward solidarity. “Us men need to show off what we got! Put on a show for the women out there so that they can know that we're ripe! That we're available!”

“Excuse me while I go back home and grab another shirt.”

“Nuh uh! Put that apron on, Arlert! You need to finish that so-called sword of yours!”

“Reiner, you and I both know that’s not going to happen.” 

“Since when did you become the rebellious type, Armin?” Reiner inspected the boy. “And since when have you've been working out? Dude! How long have you been hiding that awesome six pack?”

“Uhm… thanks… I think.”

_ I honestly didn't care about physical appearances. If every girl married a guy because of his looks, then they'll probably end up with a total dumbass who doesn't know his hand from his face. Then again, it would be nice to have a type of body that will be you noticed and respected. Maybe just to show off a little? Maybe. _

Reiner chuckled once more and pat Armin’s shoulder firmly. “Alright, get back to work, Arlert,” he said as he tossed over the apron he picked up. Armin whimpered, slipped on the apron, and proceeded to the hearth. He couldn't help but stare out his window once more as Annie returned back from her search. Then he saw it. An average-sized, Deadly Nadder rising up from the burnt rubble behind her. 

“Annie,” Armin called out in a panic, causing Annie to glance his way in confusion. “Watch out!” The Nadder roared and Annie whirled around, coming face-to-face with the beast.

“Oh, for the love of-” she jumped back and pulled out her sword, swinging it towards the Nadder who shrieked before whipping around and slapping her weapon out of her hand with its tail. The impact forced Annie to the ground. Before she could regain her footing, the dragon spread its wings and opened its mouth, preparing to blanket the Viking teen in flames. Armin saw something flash across Annie’s eyes, something he’d never quite seen before: fear. “Oh Thor… please…” She begged as she covered her face with her arms.

_ I don’t know what came over me in that moment, but seeing Annie in danger sparked something in my mind. _

“Leave her alone!” Armin yelled, emerging from the forge, slamming a shield into the Deadly Nadder's head. The dragon yowled, taking a few steps back to recover from the blow. 

“A- Armin…” Annie removed her arms from her face and looked up at her savior, baffled at the sight before her.

“Get back, Annie! I got this!” he said, scooping her sword from the ground and swung it in front of him to intimidate the Nadder. 

_ I clearly did know what I was doing because I know how to use a sword, but I didn’t want anybody to know that because they’d want me to kill a dragon. I was just trying to scare off the Deadly Nadder so that I wouldn’t have to harm the beast, and the only way I could do that was to act stupid. _

_ I kept the shield close to my body, hoping that it provided the amount of protection I needed to go forth with an attack. Then I remembered, I was surrounded with rubble sturdy enough to hold my small body. I didn’t need a shield, I needed an advantage over the Deadly Nadder. _

Armin took a deep breath before charging at the dragon, but instead of attacking, he used the momentum of his charge to slide under it. As he did so, the Nadder looked under him, leaving its nape unprotected. 

“Take this!” Armin yelled, jumping from the pile of rubble and throwing his shield at the nape. The Deadly Nadder roared as Armin banged the edge of the blade on the front horn. The Deadly Nadder stepped back and roared before flying up and away. “HA! TAKE THAT!”

“Annie, are you okay?!” Marco screamed as the other teens ran up to her. “We heard a dragon and came straight here!” 

“Where’s that flying demon?!” Jean yelled, axe in hand, ready to shred something into pieces. “I swear, I’ll kill whoever hurt my Annie!!”

“Your feelings are leaking out, Jean.” Connie whispered. 

“Oi! Shut up you dumb ball!” 

“Whatever you say.”

“Annie, are you okay?” Armin asked as he approached the warrior and extended his hand. “You’re not hurt, right?”

Annie stared at Armin, amazed at the sudden confidence and strength he possessed. She wasn’t used to seeing “Armin the Useless” actually useful when it came to a dragon attack. She also wasn’t used to seeing him in just an apron. 

“O-of course not!” She replied swatting away his hand, quickly standing. “I’m not weak, Arlert!”

“I- I wasn’t implying that you were! But you did take quite a beating…” 

“Beating?!” 

“Well… Yeah.” 

_ If this Annie was similar to the one at home, then she wouldn’t have cared if I had taken the credit. She didn’t really care for titles or reputation, but this Annie was completely different. She had a reputation to protect, she had pride, and that pride would’ve been broken if I had told them that I had defeated the Deadly Nadder all by myself. So, I did the only thing that first came up in my mind. _

“Annie ended up using all her strength to weaken the Deadly Nadder. If it wasn’t for that, then I wouldn’t have been able to drive it away.” 

“You? Drive away a dragon? Ha!” Jean laughed. “As if!” 

“You drive away girls, Jean so I wouldn’t be surprised.” Sasha mumbled. 

“Shut your trap!”

“Whatever you say, Jeanbo.” 

“Quit it, you two,” Annie scolded. “We’ve had enough for one day. Let’s go home.”

“Yes, Boss!” Sasha and Connie called out, playfully saluting Annie.

“Whatever you say, my love!” Jean responded, causing Annie to cringe and glare him down.

“Shut it before I beat you senseless, Jean!” The Viking teens began to depart, leaving Armin standing in the settling dust of the attacks. He was about to turn on his heel and return to the forge when something crossed his mind. He started to jog after the group.

“Annie, wait!” Armin grabbed Annie by the arm and pulled her away from the group. 

“What the hell, Arlert?!”

“I need to give you something,” he said, “wait here!”He darted back into the forge as Annie stood outside, arms crossed.. He came back outside holding a box. “I know it’s not the weapon that you’re used to, but I do owe you for breaking yours.” 

_ I opened the box that I had in my arms and revealed a polished, sword with a glittering hilt. I had seen it earlier in the forge and Reiner had briefly mentioned that I had been working on it for the past few weeks. Something in my heart told me that it was meant for Annie all along. _

“I’ve been working on this for a while,'' Armin admitted hesitantly. “I guess I wanted it to be perfect for the strongest Viking in the village.”

Annie raised an eyebrow cautiously, though Armin saw that she was impressed. “And you’re giving it to me?”

“W- well yeah. I do owe you a sword after I broke yours over the Nadder’s head” He chuckled, pushing the box further in her direction. “Take it. It’s yours.”

“T- thanks…” Annie grabbed her new sword, one made of the strongest iron, and with a steel fused handle. She analyzed it in her grasp, checking its balance and giving it a few test swings.

Armin smiled at her process. “Anything for you, Annie.” 

_ She glanced my way suddenly and I felt my face burn. Did that just come out of my mouth? I tensed, anticipating the same kind of anger she directed towards Jean when he said something of that same caliber, but instead, she rolled her eyes and walked past me. Nothing said. I relaxed when she was out of eyesight, but my heart still ached with embarrassment. I turned on my heel, opening my mouth to say something, but felt the words catch on the back of my throat. I crumpled in defeat, knowing that there wasn't anything I could possibly say to her. Despite how badly I wanted the words to come out. _

Reiner approached quickly, grabbing Armin by the shoulders. “There are you! Alright, you’ve had your fun. Let’s get you back inside before…”

He was cut off far too soon.

“What in Thor’s name are _ you _doing out here?” The voice boomed across the settling village from behind the two and Armin winced. The all-too-familiar disappointment in the man’s voice brought the two to a screeching halt. Reiner was the first to turn around.

“Chief,” he greeted, grinning nervously. “How are you doing?”

Armin followed in suit, looking at his father in his eyes and gulping. Chief Erwin was a man of bold stature and powerful renown. Of the many things he was known for, however, his intense, overprotective nature and slight disappointment in his son was the most prominent.

“How many times have I told you,” Erwin began harshly, shouldering his battle-axe, freshly painted with the blood of a recently slain dragon, “the last place you should be during an attack…”

“Is outside,” Armin finished with a sigh. “I-I know, Dad.”

“And you!” Erwin focused his attention on Reiner, and the taller man froze. “We’ve talked about this! You’re supposed to keep him in his place. If anything happened to Armin…” The chief hesitated momentarily, carefully considering his following words. “Well… We just can’t allow that.”

“I know, Sir,” Reiner complied, bowing his head. “I’m sorry. I just… He got away from me. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” Erwin responded harshly. “Armin, I want you to go back to the house. Put out the rest of the flames. Reiner, after you escort Armin back to the house, you’re coming with me to collect the dead.”

Reiner’s face fell. “Dead? How many did we lose?”

Erwin shook his head. “One too many.” His eyes fell back on his son and he cleared his throat. “We’ll discuss this later. Make sure he gets home safely.”

That was all that needed to be said from the chief. He turned and marched back towards the heart of the village as Reiner motioned for Armin to follow him back to his home. 

As they made their way to the top of the hill, Armin stopped and sighed, running his hands through his hair. “He doesn’t treat me like the others,” he said, catching Reiner’s attention. 

“You’re his son, it’s to be expected.”

“It’s not just that. He didn’t even ask me if I was okay. Parents usually worry about their children’s safety.”

“You know your father.”

_ No. I didn’t know him. Though I had only been immersed in this world for a short time, I could tell just from the interaction I had with him that this man, my father, Erwin the Unstoppable, Greatest Viking in all of Berk, was just that to me. He was a legend. A leader. But a father? Hardly the case. I suppose I couldn’t blame him, though. There was a hurt deep within his soul that he was guarding with hatred. Anyone could see that. Still, for someone who was my own flesh and blood, it would have been nice if he cared more about my well-being than his reputation. _

The boys reached the doorstep of Armin’s home. The door was still smoldering, but cleared of flames. Someone must have put out the fires in all the panic. Perhaps they figured even Armin couldn’t get that right.

“I know your dad’s not exactly the… Comforting type,” Reiner continued, “but he does care about you, Armin. He keeps you away from the fights so that he can protect you. He’s just upset that you disobeyed him and put yourself in danger. I wouldn’t take it too harshly.”

“Easy for you to say,” Armin sighed. “He likes you. And literally everyone else on the island. If I was just more like you guys...”

Reiner sighed, shaking his head. “See, this right here is the problem, Armin. You gotta stop pretending to be something you’re not.” He lowered his voice and stepped closer. “Look, I saw you take on that Nadder. To save Annie. You’ve got potential, Armin, but you just need to learn how to properly wield it.” He stepped away from Armin. “Why don’t I talk to your dad? Maybe I could convince him to sign you up for dragon training.”

_ My eyes widened at the thought. Dragon training? No, no that isn’t what I wanted. I couldn’t put myself in that position. The last thing I wanted to do was actually hurt, or God forbid, kill a dragon. _

“That’s _ really _not necessary,” Armin pleaded suddenly. 

“Nonsense!” Reiner replied enthusiastically, clapping Armin’s back. “If your dad saw you take down that Nadder, he’d probably agree with me. Besides, your form could use a little work. If your swing was a little stronger, you probably would have succeeded in killing the damn thing.” He chuckled at the thought. “Hey, maybe if that Night Fury comes around again, you’ll be the one taking it down instead.”

_ Yeah, maybe. _

“Get some rest, Armin,” Reiner continued, opening the front door for the smaller Viking beside him. “We’ll take care of cleanup for the night.”

Armin solemnly stepped inside the hut and Reiner offered a final wave before shutting the door. For a moment, Armin stood alone in the quiet home, his thoughts heavy with concern.

_ This wasn’t like I imagined. None of this is going like the story I once loved. This was supposed to be the part where Hiccup does something… Something I can’t quite remember. Wait… Why can’t I remember? I’m usually good with remembering things… _

_ I went back to my room which was, luckily, not completely burned to the ground. My bed and my closet was still up and whole, which was a good thing. I can finally relax AND put on a shirt. _

Armin went and grabbed a shirt from his closet and pulled it on as he dropped face first onto his bed. “Never thought living a peasant life would be this exhausting…” He mumbled as he wrapped himself in his warm blanket. “I don’t remember the last time I felt this exhausted since…” Armin zoned off, falling into a deep slumber, snoring lightly. 


	4. Chapter Three

Embers gently fluttered to the earth as Reiner and Erwin stood side by side. The survivors of the dragon attack solemnly carted away those who were lost in the battle. Corpses of fallen dragons were also carried off to be disposed of.

“Eight dead,” Erwin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Twenty-six injured. That’s double the amount we had in the last attack. They’re getting more calculated with their destruction. More aggressive.”

“I bet most of that destruction is attributed to the Night Fury that was with their pack?” Reiner guessed. 

“Two of those killed were on the watchtower that it disintegrated,” Erwin informed. “I watched them burn as they collided with the earth.” Erwin shook his head, submitting to the upsetting disappointment of defeat. “The only comfort I can take from this is that Armin was safe.”

“That he was,” Reiner returned with a nod. “But, you know Chief, Armin could probably do a lot better on his own if you’d let him join the others in Dragon Training.”

Erwin shot Reiner a scathing look. “I hope that’s a joke.”

“Am I laughing?” Reiner queried as Erwin’s expression hardened. “I know you only want what’s best for him but…”

“There are no buts,” Erwin interjected. “I’ve already lost his mother. I can’t lose him too.”

“The longer he’s kept from training, the weaker he gets! I’m not saying he becomes a full-fledged warrior, but imagine how much easier he can defend himself with just a little bit of Levi’s help.”

“I’ve made up my mind about this years ago, when he was just a baby,” Erwin responded coldly. “Armin’s not going to train to kill dragons. He’s perfectly safe with you in your forge.”

Reiner rolled his eyes. “Look, Chief, I respect your wishes, I really do. But Armin has potential. Earlier he saved Annie Leonhardt from a Nadder. I saw him chase it away. And before that, he stopped me from getting killed in a dangerous situation. The talent is there. We just need to bring it out.”

Erwin was silent as he considered this and Reiner carefully studied his chief’s face, hoping to decipher an answer. “I’d never forgive myself if he got hurt.”

“He won’t get hurt,” Reiner assured. “I help out with Levi’s trainees all the time. I can watch over him for you. And if that doesn’t work, Eren and Mikasa are enrolled in the program too. They’re his best friends; if I can’t keep an eye on him, surely they will!” Erwin shook his head, though his defiant stance was faltering. Reiner noticed this, smiling as he realized he was making a breakthrough. “He doesn’t need to be the best, Chief. He just needs to be skilled enough to stay alive.”

Erwin thought on this before nodding slowly. “I… I suppose you’re right. But you have to promise me you’ll pull him out of any situation that’s too dangerous. If I lose my son because of this, you’ll be losing a lot more than just the respect of Berk.”

“Duly noted, Sir,” Reiner responded, bowing his head. The two fell silent for another moment, continuing to observe the cleanup of their smoldering village. As the aftermath settled in, Reiner couldn’t help but feel his confidence fade. Something Erwin had said was right: the attacks were getting more dangerous. Too dangerous. If they didn’t act fast enough, Berk would be consumed in flames, and keeping Armin alive would be the least of their worries.

\---

The young teenagers of Berk were gathered in the village’s kill-ring: a rocky arena lined with cages strong enough to hold back the angriest of dragons in an interlocking, chained roof to keep them from ever escaping. Eren stood in the center, talking loudly about how his quick thinking last night saved a man, while Jean tried to counteract this with his own heroics. Mikasa stood close to Eren, listening quietly to the story like the other teens. All except for Annie, who separated herself from the group, talking casually to Reiner and Bertholdt.

As the teens conversed, the hatch to the arena was pried open and Armin quietly stepped through the entrance, hiding his gaze from the other whispering Vikings.

“Who brought ‘Armin the Useless’?” Jean snickered quietly. 

Armin quietly slunk his way into the arena, finding himself joining Eren and Mikasa’s side, both of whom gladly accepted him into their fold.

“There’s no way your dad is actually letting you do this,” Eren mused in disbelief. For the first time that morning, Armin broke into a smile.

“You’d be surprised,” he informed. 

_ It was nice to see my friends smile when I entered the kill-ring. It certainly contrasted the teasing scowls of my other comrades. Or, supposed comrades at this point. Reiner also caught my eye and gave me a thumbs up. He had seemed so excited when he announced that my dad was letting me come to train with the other teenagers. If only he knew the struggle I was dealing with deep down. _

The teenagers continued catching up, discussing the most recent attack in depth.

From one of the closed off pens in the arena, an armored man stepped out, decorated in molted dragon scales. He was small in stature, but no one dared to tease him for it. Everyone agreed that Erwin was the most skilled Viking in all of Berk, but the one who came second to him was Levi Ackerman: famed dragon slayer and strict Dragon Trainer.

“Quiet,” Levi called and the chattering came to a halt. All eyes fell upon him and an air of respect swelled in the arena. “Better. Welcome to Dragon Training. For some of you,” he directed his gaze towards Armin, who gulped and retracted ever so slightly, “it’s your very first day with us. And for some of you, you’ve been here so long graduation doesn’t even loom in the distance for you.”

“Why does he always look at us when he says that,” Sasha whispered to Connie, who shrugged playfully. Levi rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Chief Erwin has asked me personally to tone down our little lessons while Berk’s heir joins us for training,” he continued, followed by upset groans from the other riders.

“Why do we have to dial it back because Useless is here?” Jean demanded. “Some of us have worked incredibly hard to get where we’re at and…”

There was a loud clatter as a shield zoomed past Jean’s head and collided with the stone wall of the arena. Jean yelped pathetically, cowering as Levi lowered his hand.

“For the love of Thor,” Levi snarled, “do you ever shut up? Go pick up my shield, Kirschtein, and give me ten laps around the arena.”

Jean looked at Levi fearfully, but also with anticipation, partially hoping that he was joking around. But the look of anger in their instructor’s eyes was the only evidence he needed. Jean scattered, like a wounded puppy. He fetched the shield dropped it in Levi’s grasp, and then made his rounds.

“As I was saying,” Levi continued. “Our training lessons will be toned down, but don’t think for a second that I’m still going to make it easy on you.” He trailed towards one of the pen doors. As he got closer, the creature within began snarling and ramming its body against the door. “Your first objective is to work as a team with Berk’s heir and show him the ropes.” Levi threw open the pen, and from within, burst out an overly-excited and frustrated Gronckle, a boulder-like dragon with tiny wings. Immediately, the trainees scattered as Levi stood on the side-lines.

“What’s the first thing you’re going to do,” he called over the dragon’s warbling calls.

“Grab a shield!” Marco chimed in, before yelping and rolling out of the way of the dragon as it rammed into the arena wall.

“Go on then,” Levi continued, gesturing towards a weapon rack on the other end of the room. The teens made their way for it, Armin trailing behind, nervously checking over his shoulder and keeping track of the dragon. It buzzed angrily after them, but not quite fast enough to catch up. 

The other Vikings grabbed their shields, leaving the smallest and most splintered one for their new classmate. 

_ It’s almost like they’re trying to get me killed. I scooped the shield up and brought it in front of me. There was no way it would protect me in an actual dragon fight, but it would have to do for now. After all, I had no intention to actually harm the Gronckle. But she had every desire to kill me. She didn’t know what I knew and saw me as one of the others, which was definitely going to complicate things. _

“Armin, look out!” Eren called out, yanking his friend away just as a fireball soared past them. Armin stumbled and met the Gronckle’s gaze as she roared loudly and opened her mouth again. The back of her throat glowed a fiery orange and she aimed towards him once more, but this time, Armin was able to move himself out of the way.

“Once they start shooting,” Levi informed, still casually resting against the wall, watching the teens struggle with amusement in his eyes, “all you can do is wear it out. Every dragon has a limited number of shots they can take. Can anyone tell Arlert how many our Gronckle has?”

“Six?” Connie guessed loudly, holding up his shield in front of himself and Sasha as she did the same.

“Well look at that,” Levi mused with a smirk, “someone just took one step closer to graduation.”

Connie and Sasha looked excitedly at each other lowering their shields for just a moment. The Gronckle, who had been drawn to the two when Connie had spoken, reared back once more and blew out another ball of fire. It smacked directly into their shields, knocking them to the ground and scattering their shields.

“And just as quickly as you two progress,” Levi added, “you take another five steps backwards.”

“At least we got a taste of graduation.” Sasha groaned as she tried to recover from the impact. Connie slightly nodded in agreement, still laying on the ground. 

“The taste of failure, though, not so great,” Connie completed.

“Say you’re on the battlefield,” Levi continued, ignoring the hopeless pair on the floor, “and you’re left without a weapon. Arlert, can you guess the best way to confront the Gronckle without a sword or axe?”

Armin hesitated, still hiding desperately behind his dinner-plate of a shield. “I…”

“Hesitating on the battlefield will result in your death. Anyone else?”

“You trip it up,” Mikasa responded, joining Armin’s side and using her shield to add to his protective barrier.

“Correct. Gronckles are terrifyingly strong, but they’re also large and not well-coordinated. The faster you are, the easier it is to escape them.”

The Gronckle warbled angrily again and launched another fireball towards Marco and Jean, who had clustered near the weapons rack. The rack exploded, shooting metal shrapnel across the arena. Jean howled out in pain as one of the pieces embedded itself in his leg. 

“Damn dragon,” Jean called out.

“Jean, you’re out,” Levi shouted. “Two more shots, guys. Quit fooling around and take it out.”

Marco rushed to get Jean away from the heart of the battle.

“I’ve got this,” Eren assured and charged towards the Gronckle, holding his shield up to use it as a battering ram. He ran in a zig-zag pattern, attempting to confuse the dragon. And while it did disorient her a bit, she soon learned his pattern and hit him with another fireball, sending him crashing against the arena floor. Mikasa gasped and left Armin’s side to save Eren, leaving the young heir unprotected.

_ When she looked at me, I felt the color leave my face. This was a strong, intelligent creature who was able to single out her victims effortlessly. And unfortunately, I was next in line. _

_ I froze in place as she buzzed towards me, rage flashing in her eyes. I took a step back, hitting the wall behind me and held my breath. The closer she got, the more I felt the heat radiating from inside her. Her throat glowed viciously and I saw the lava-like flames rising. I never thought I’d be burnt to death. _

Armin winced, turning his face away as the dragon began to spit out her final attack. Before she could singe the poor Viking, however, Annie jumped in, ramming the weight of her body against the beast and knocking it off its course. It coughed out its last attack, the fire slamming against the wall beside Armin, just a few meters away. The Gronckle roared viciously, but knew she wouldn’t be able to defend herself again.

Reiner charged in, subduing the dragon quickly and forcing her back into her pen while Armin continued to catch his breath. He looked up towards his savior, attempting to find the words to thank her for saving his life, but she beat him to it.

“Are you out of your mind?!” she demanded harshly. “What the hell were you thinking?!”

_ Her words seemed to sting more than the actual fire would have. I didn’t understand why she was so upset. If anything, I figured she would have been relieved. Or at least… Dismissive. Not angry. _

The other trainees rushed to surround Armin, Mikasa and Eren pushing their way to the front and pulling their friend up. Annie still seethed before them.

“You’re supposed to lead us one day and you can’t even properly take down a dragon!”

“Lay off of him, Annie,” Eren grumbled. “It’s his first day.”

“It’s okay, Eren,” Armin muttered, but Annie persisted.

“You couldn’t even kill that Nadder,” she supplied and Armin felt his face flush with embarrassment. “You had an open window and you just dazed it. What kind of leader can’t even protect their own?!”

“That’s enough,” Levi scolded as he approached the group. “Leonhardt, back off.” Annie held her ground for a moment, staring down their instructor before quietly stepping away and marching off in the other direction. Reiner and Bertholdt tailed after her and the other Vikings looked back towards Armin.

“I’m sorry,” Armin said softly, bowing his head to avoid their gazes.

“There are no apologies in war, Arlert,” Levi said firmly. “As uncouth as she may be, she has a point.”

“Excuse me?” Mikasa asked in disbelief, her inner “Momma Bear” attitude beginning to rise to the surface.

“A chief must protect his own. The fact that you’re this old and still have yet to properly take down a dragon is beyond baffling. But that’s why you’re here, right? You want to get better.”

_ I just want to be accepted by you guys. Not necessarily take down a dragon. _

Levi scanned the scarred arena and sighed. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning. Those who weren’t injured can stay behind to clean up. And before you ask,” he turned towards Connie and Sasha, “bruised egos do not count.”

“Damn,” Sasha muttered.

The remaining teens started to disband, Armin following behind Mikasa and Eren, but Levi stopped him.

“Not you, Arlert,” he said quickly. “You’re done for today.”

“But…” 

“No buts. Go home.”

_ My face fell and I turned slowly. As I made my way towards the entrance to the arena, I passed Jean, who was slumped against the wall, waiting for one of the village healers to arrive. He rolled his eyes in my direction. _

“He’s just worried you’re going to screw everything up again,” he said.

_ I paused. Jean was always out to tease and torment the less experienced fighters, but the words he spoke this time were coated in poison. I felt an overwhelming amount of shame come over me, before picking up speed and running out of the arena. I wanted to cry, I wanted to lock myself in my room for eternity, I wanted to go back… Go back… That’s odd… Where did I want to go back to? _

“‘Couldn’t kill a Nadder’,” Armin mumbled as he marched into the forge and pulled on his apron. “Last time I checked, you couldn’t kill it either! ‘Couldn’t kill a Nadder’ my ass!” He grabbed his forging hammer and Annie’s sword from last night and started hammering intensely. “I saved her life once, and this is what I get?! No, ‘thank you’ or ‘are you okay’ or ‘are you hurt’! Just a nice, insulting, ‘what were you thinking’!” 

_ I was so enwrapped in my thoughts that I didn’t realize that I had broken the sword in half until I heard the tip of the sword fall onto the floor. _

Armin sighed and knelt down to pick up the broken piece of metal before noticing Reiner’s quiver filled with fresh, handmade arrows and his trusty bow. He grabbed one of the arrows and traced the edge of the tip before getting an idea. Armin grabbed the extra iron he could find within the forge and melted them before pouring them in a mold. Next thing he knew, he was crafting something one-of-a-kind.

\---

“I feel bad for Armin,” Eren said as he finished fixing the weapon rack. “Like… It’s just his first day. No need to be harsh with him.”

“Not my fault that he’s the weakest of the weak.” Annie spat as she threw the extra metal shrapnel that was still laying around into the scrap bin. “And he’s supposed to lead us one day.”

“He’s not weak! Just… inexperienced.” 

“Yeah, sure. ‘Inexperienced’ my ass!”

“Language, Leonhardt,” Levi said.

Annie stared down her instructor and rolled her eyes.

“Armin is stronger than you, Annie,” Mikasa blurted out.

“Excuse me?”

Eren’s eyes widened as his gaze darted between the two women now squaring each other up. “M- Mikasa!”

“That Nadder that Armin drove away, the one he said you were responsible for making it weak… You didn’t do a damn thing to it, did you?”

“Oh no…” Eren mumbled before slowly heading to the exit. The other Viking teens had started catching wind of what was going down and all slowed their own repairs to watch the two women cautiously.

“What are you talking about, Mikasa?” Marco asked, cocking his head. 

“The Deadly Nadder caught you by surprise, swatted your sword away, and was ready to burn you alive,” Mikasa continued sharply.

“Don’t all dragons do that? Look like they’re ready to burn you alive?” Connie asked.

“Yeah, and they mean it.” Sasha added. 

“That’s very true,” Marco affirmed.

“Not the point.” Mikasa interrupted before getting close to the blonde, who remained steadfast in her stance. “You were scared. No. Petrified. You didn’t do anything but watch Armin injure that Deadly Nadder!” Everyone gasped at the accusation and even Annie raised an eyebrow. “Armin inflicted a mortal wound at the Nadder with his shield, because I found that same Deadly Nadder laying down by the docks, almost dead, this morning!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Annie mumbled. “That attack almost killed the Nadder?”

“Ah, so you don’t deny what happened?” Mikasa smirked. 

Annie’s eyes widened. “U- Uhm…” 

“Levi!” 

Everyone turned around to see Berk’s heir standing at the entrance of the arena. His hair was tied back instead of his usual bowl-cut style, and he was wearing a cloak, sending chills down the spines of the other trainees. 

“Arlert, what are you doing back here?” Levi asked. “I told you to go home.”

“I want to go again!” Armin declared firmly as he walked inside. “I want to go again, but alone!”

The other teens looked at each other anxiously, taken aback by their future chief’s sudden burst of confidence.

“Armin!”

“You’re crazy!”

“He’s dead.”

“Not gonna happen, Armin,” Levi said. “No way in Thor will I let you go again after what I saw. You’re not ready.”

“I’m ready now!”

“Yeah, right!” Annie scoffed. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Arlert, but you literally almost died an hour ago!”

“And I almost died last night, didn’t I?” Armin asked her. “And yet, I’m still here.” 

“Point taken,” Sasha nodded. 

“Shut it!” Annie snapped.

“Give me another chance, Levi!” Armin continued to plead, turning back towards their instructor.

“And why should I?” Levi questioned, raising an eyebrow.

_ I walked towards Levi and looked him straight in the eye, shoulders back and my back straight, trying to seem somewhat intimidating. I was somewhat taller than him, so I hoped my small advantage would help with the crazy thing I was going to say. _

“You’re looking at the future chief of this village!” Armin proclaimed. “You, of all people, wouldn’t want a weak chief now would you? So I ask -- no-- _ demand _ that you give me another chance!” 

Levi looked up at Armin, seemingly unimpressed by his words, but intrigue sparked in his eyes. He smirked. “Release the Gronkle,” he called over his shoulder to Bertholdt and Reiner.

“What?!” Everyone gasped.

“There’s no way you’re serious,” Annie scoffed. “You’re going to get him killed!”

“Last time I checked, Leonhardt, he was the only one that managed to land a serious hit on a Nadder for capture.” 

“Wait… Arlert didn’t kill the Deadly Nadder?”

“You think Arlert is capable of killing a dragon on his first try?” Levi chuckled. “You can be so gullible sometimes.”

“Armin: 1, Annie: 0,” Sasha teased as she dragged Connie to the sidelines. 

“Good luck Armin!” Connie cheered. “I believe in you!”

“Be careful!” Marco said as he took a seat in the gallery with everyone else. Only Annie stood in the stadium, blocking the entryway between the Gronkle and Armin.

“You can’t be serious!” she repeated in disbelief, but this time towards Armin. “You can’t really be thinking about taking down this Gronkle!” 

“I’m more serious than ever, Annie,” Armin said. “I need to do this. For this town’s sake. Now please, step away.”

“No!”

“Let the boy die, Annie,” Jean taunted as he entered the gallery, his wound he had received earlier now bandaged. “If he wants to dig his own grave then let him dig his own grave.” Then, in a quiet mumble to himself, Jean finished, “It’ll finally get rid of this town’s disappointment.”

“But-”

“Annie,” Armin looked at her and smiled. “Trust me. I’ll be fine.”

Annie gasped as she saw his confidence glow in this suicide mission. Like before, she wasn’t used to “Armin The Useless” fighting, especially all alone. She quickly looked away, trying to hide her now red face from either her anger or the unusual blushing. 

“D- don’t come to me crying if you’re being chased by that dragon, Arlert! I’m not saving you this time!” Annie yelled. Armin nodded firmly in her direction, causing her to hesitate. She couldn’t quite figure out what was with his sudden boost of confidence until she saw his cloak shift, revealing a glint of metal. She cocked an eyebrow curiously, craning her neck to get a better view, but he turned his back to her.

Annie sighed before submitting to his plea. She stepped out of the arena and joined the others, watching carefully, almost fearfully, as Reiner began to crank open the hatch that held back the snarling Gronckle. 

_ I straightened my stance, stabilizing myself. I reached underneath my cloak and grabbed onto two devices: one for each hand, each containing a sort of trigger rigged to control the contraption I wore around my waist. Something about this felt all too familiar, but I couldn’t quite recall why. _

When the door crashed open, Armin took a step back, watching the Gronckle charge forwards. He stepped out of her way swiftly, causing her to come to a halt and pivot around curiously. Armin mimic’d her motions, hoping to remain in her blindspot long enough before he could find a clearing.

The Gronckle finally caught up to Armin, growling maliciously when they made eye contact. She prepared another attack, but Armin remained in position. 

“What in Thor’s name is he doing?” Jean asked quietly. 

The Gronckle coughed up a projectile of flames and Armin acted quickly, pressing his fingers against the trigger of his device. Suddenly, metal arrows attached to some sort of wire shot out from within the cases around his waist, embedding themselves in the wall and yanking Armin out of danger. He was met with amazed “oohs” and "awws”, causing him to break into a smile. He looked up towards the other trainees to catch their expressions and was surprised to see Annie raising an eyebrow and watching with intense interest.

The Gronckle, however, was less impressed and continued to chase Armin down. He repeated himself several times, taunting the dragon before flying to safety. The dragon would lose another shot, and Armin would gain more time.

Everything would have been perfect if he had decided not to show off.

_ It felt great to be on the receiving end of my classmates’ enthusiasm. They seemed to get a kick out of my new invention and I could have sworn I saw Levi nod his approval. I can’t believe this is all I needed to do to gain their respect. I wonder what else I can do? _

Armin’s eyes trailed up towards the chained ceiling of the arena. Up until this point, he had been using his new gear to propel himself on the ground. But he wondered with the right calculations if he could get his gear to latch onto the ceiling.

_ It certainly wouldn’t hurt to try. _

Armin jumped once more out of the Grockle’s line of fire and then directed his attention upwards. He held down on the triggers and, for a moment, they held onto the chains. He fiddled with his controls, launching himself upwards. Once more, the trainees, and even Levi, were in awe of this new technology. Unfortunately, that admiration would be wearing off a little quicker than thought.

About three meters off the ground, the wire connecting Armin’s arrows to his device unexpectedly snapped. Just as quickly as he had been soaring through the air, he was crashing down to the concrete below. The other trainees gasped in horror while Armin yelped out and tried to catch his breath.

Perhaps teasing the Gronckle earlier wasn’t the best of his ideas.

It bound towards him, and before Armin could breathe normally again, he was already in the heart of another battle. He forced himself to roll away from the Gronckle’s attack, just as she drove her claws into the space he had been in just moments earlier.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” Armin cursed as he quickly picked himself up from the ground, avoiding another blast. “I just have to hold off for three more! Come on, you can do this!”

“Get Armin out of there!” Mikasa yelled at Levi, who just stared at the blond boy running and dodging. 

“Levi!” Reiner screamed, “stop this training right now! Armin definitely isn't ready for this!”

“Give him a minute or two,” their instructor replied. “He needs to learn to recover.”

“Recover from what?! Death?!” Reiner argued, his eyes locked on his friend. “Because there is no recovering from that!”

“Trust the boy, Reiner.”

_ I kept running in circles trying to find an opening to attack the Gronckle, but every turn I did, she turned as well. I had to think of a plan of attack. Had to think of a way to not embarrass myself in front of the others. _

The Gronckle fired again, this time, igniting Armin’s cloak. He tried to blow it off, but it only made the situation worse as he tripped and fell to the ground. He couldn't get up. The Gronckle bounded forward, snarling as she reared back and fired. The trainees gasped loudly, rising from their seats as smoke curled upwards from the impact zone. 

“Armin!” the teens cried out desperately.

“That's it!” Annie yelled, moving towards the battlefield. “I'm killing that Gronckle!” Connie, Marco, and Sasha grabbed on to Annie, preventing her from moving as Eren grabbed onto Mikasa, who seemed to have the same idea as Annie. 

“Hold your swords, Leonhardt!” Levi scolded. 

“Armin is dead!”

“No…” Reiner mumbled, stumbling backwards in shock. “He can't be…” 

“He is not, Braun!”

“I promised to protect him,” Reiner continued, running his hands through his hair. “Now he's probably burnt to a crisp… Oh, Gods!”

“Reiner!” Marco shouted, pointing towards the center of the arena. “Look!” 

A cloud of dust and ash slowly lifted to reveal Armin walking away from a blinded Gronckle trying her best to take off the cloak that was over her head. Exhausted, Armin collapsed to his knees. Reiner immediately pushed past Levi and helped Armin to his feet. He guided Berk’s heir away from the fight and to safety while Levi stepped in and subdued the dragon, guiding her back to her pen as she fought every step of the way. 

Once the tension had settled and the other Vikings returned to the heart of the arena, the reality of what had just happened settled upon them.

_ I wanted to avoid their gaze, but I couldn’t help but notice how disappointed they all looked. Despite seeing those who were more relieved at my survival, like Reiner, Eren, and Mikasa, the embarrassment continued to settle in. I had done what Jean told me I would do: screw everything up. And for what? My invention only brought me so far. It won their interest, but not their respect. Maybe they’re right. I’m not fit to lead Berk. _

“Are you okay?” Eren asked after a suffocating moment of silence.

“I think so,” Armin responded. “Just a little singed.”

“Our future chief,” Jean muttered in that mocking tone of his. Armin’s face flared. Before anyone could stop him, he was storming out of the arena, desperately trying to conceal his tears of frustration.

\---

“You’re not a failure,” Reiner assured. Armin sat at a work table in the forge, mindlessly tapping a pencil and staring towards the ground. After making his humiliating exit, Reiner had caught up with him and forced him to go back to the forge: the one place Armin knew he’d be safe from the others.

“You saw what happened,” Armin supplied. “I tried to do something different. To be someone different, and it blew up in my face. That dragon should have just killed me on the spot.”

“Stop,” Reiner demanded. “I’m not letting you talk about yourself like that. You screwed up, so what? Everyone does on their first day. You did something that a lot of people don’t do after you almost got cooked by a dragon: you came back.”

“Well,” Armin began, sitting up. “I’m not going back tomorrow.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I am never going back into that arena. Not when all I hear is Jean snickering about how useless I am.”

“Jean’s a dumbass, Armin. You can’t let what he says get inside your head!”

“It’s not just him! It’s everyone! No one wants me there. Hell, Dad didn’t even want me there until you forced him to enroll me!” Armin’s anger continued to rise and he clenched his fists. “Dad knows I’m just as useless as everyone thinks I am!”

“You’re not useless,” Reiner insisted, feeling his own frustration build. “Look. Today was a bust. That’s fine. We can’t always have good days.”

“Easy for you to say when you’re not the one carrying the nickname ‘Useless’,” Armin muttered.

“A useless person wouldn’t have stormed back into the arena like you did and take on the same dragon that had almost killed him. And a useless person sure as hell wouldn’t have built something as incredible as you did.” Reiner gestured to Armin’s invention, casually laying on the ground by his feet. “That thing is amazing, Armin. You’re onto something with that!”

Armin shook his head and stood, scooping the gear into his hands. “It didn’t even work.”

“But it’s something,” Reiner persisted. “And something is always greater than nothing.”

“Tell that to this shitty village, Reiner. Tell that to Jean, Sasha, Connie, Annie, and the rest of those who don’t believe in me! Tell that to my own fucking father!” He screamed, letting out his anger. “Until you do that, this thing,” he raised the contraption in the air, “doesn't mean a thing to me.” Armin threw his invention into the burning flames of the furnace, making the inferno swell as the wooden parts of his contraption burned to ash and as the iron holding it together turned into mush. 

“Armin, what the hell!” Reiner quickly grabbed a bucket of water and threw in into the furnace, hoping to subdue the flames in time to save the invention. Unfortunately, he was too late as he discovered the smoldering iron seeping into the cracks of the oven. “Why, you son of Loki… Armin, how dare you destroy something like that? Do you have any idea how this could've helped us with our dragon situation?” 

There was an awkward silence in the forge, which was very odd for Reiner knowing that Armin liked to speak his mind when he was mad. Perhaps there was something heavier on his mind. He looked up towards the heir and noticed the pain lingering in his eyes, mingling with a rage he hadn’t quite seen before. 

Reiner sighed heavily, doing his best to calm his own frustrations, and walked to the other end of the forge. He lifted his bow and arrow from a weapons rack and walked over to Armin. He gestured for him to hold out his arms and he did so, before Reiner dropped the weapons in his hands.

“Go shoot things while I clean up your mess,” he said and Armin gave him a curious look amidst his anger. “Whenever I’m as pissed as you are now, I like to go to the cove and shoot arrows into the trees. It doesn’t solve any of my problems, but it calms me down enough so that I can deal with them.” He guided Armin towards the entrance of the forge and pushed him out into the streets. “Don’t come back until you’re ready to talk.”

And with that, Reiner shut the door behind Armin.

\---

The cove was quite peaceful at night. The quiet chirping of slumbering dragons, usually Terrible Terrors, could be heard in the distance as they settled for the night, uninterested in conquering Berk like the rest of the dragons. The peace, however, was soon interrupted by the _ thwip _of an arrow missing its target, followed by Armin’s quiet cursing.

_ I stepped over fallen tree branches and protruding rocks, bending down to pick up an arrow laying at the base of a tree. I sighed, shaking my head and turned to focus on another tree in the distance. I brought the bow up and took the arrow once more, latching it into place. I mentally calculated the distance between myself and my target and pulled back what I felt was the necessary length, and then adding some for good measure, before releasing the arrow. It tore through the air like a bullet, but was too offset to embed itself in the tree. Instead, it lost its velocity and landed beside another tree. _

“Oh, for the love of…” Armin rolled his eyes. “How is this supposed to help me calm down?” He trudged forward again, moving to retrieve his arrow. “This is so stupid.”

_ I bent down to pick of the arrow. _ SNAP _ . I immediately froze, listening intently to the environment around me. There had been rumors of bandits and hunters roaming around the cove at night. Whether they were searching for dragons or unassuming Viking teenagers was unclear. All I knew was that it was highly advised to avoid them at all costs, considering they were among the less forgiving type of folk. _

After a few moments of tense silence, Armin slowly breathed out, careful not to make any loud, unnecessary noises. He stood straight, raising the bow and notching the arrow. He took a step back, his eyes darting wildly all around him, anticipating an ambush.

_ SNAP. _

Armin swiveled around quickly and shot an arrow in the direction he heard the sound coming from. Almost immediately after, he heard a sharp howl followed by a tremendous crash, but it was unlike any noise he had heard coming from a human. In fact, it sounded almost dragon-like. Armin’s eyes widened.

“Oh no,” he muttered and, going against every instinct in his body, he charged towards the creature he had just struck. As he guided himself through the forest, he came across a tree that had been completely snapped in half: a feat that only a being with incredible strength could accomplish. However, it seemed as if whoever had done this hadn’t completely walked away victoriously. The broken trunk was stained with a dark liquid that continued in a slick trail through the forest, to a clearing just ahead. The earth, once undisturbed, had been flattened. Armin continued forward, but screeched to a stop not long after, holding his breath.

Before him, curled on the forest floor, was the glorious Night Fury that had attacked Berk just the previous night. It was breathing heavily, letting out soft warbles of pain, likely due to the arrow protruding out of his back. Armin traced the beast with his eyes and noticed the horrifying state of its tail: one fin had been completely mangled and torn apart, soaked in blood.

Armin held back a curse, fearful of how the downed dragon would react at his sudden appearance. But he couldn’t just stand by and leave the Night Fury to suffer.

_ Well, I’ve had some foolish plans in the past. But I think this one’s gonna top the cake. _

Armin gently set the bow and arrow to the ground, hiding them in the underbrush of the cove. He began approaching the dragon, very slowly. He methodically allowed a branch to snap underneath his boot to make the Night Fury aware of his presence, and it worked. Though the creature had been rendered immobile by the arrow, he could still swivel his head. He let out a menacing growl, bearing sharpened teeth.

“H-hey,” Armin began softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

This didn’t seem to ease the dragon’s fears. He grew more agitated and Armin stopped moving.

“You’re hurt,” he said, “I can help you. I just need you to…”

The dragon snarled, making an attempt at snapping the boy’s fingers clean off. Armin retracted quickly, stumbling over his own feet and falling over. He propped himself up and frowned as the Night Fury continued to growl in his direction.

“I get that you’re scared,” Armin said, “but please… Let me help. It'll be quick, I promise..” 

_ I pulled myself back to my feet and started to make small steps towards the wounded Night Fury as his growling, warning me to stay back, became louder. I ignored the sounds and reached out for the arrow embedded in his back as I leaned against him. He flinched causing me to back up a little, but I still continued to reach out for my arrow. _

_ “Brace yourself, this is going to hurt…” I warned as I quickly pulled out the arrow. The Night Fury roared loudly making me lose my balance and tumble to the ground once more. The pain swept through my body from the fall but soon it was constricted to my neck. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move! I opened my eyes to see the big creature snarling down at me, his claws almost penetrating through my skin. I saw the arrow not that far away. Maybe it would be a good time to kill it. No one has ever killed a Night Fury, and if I brought home the heart, then I’ll be accepted as a true Viking warrior. _

Armin reached out for the arrow, but came a few centimeters short from the fingertips. He stretched out just a little more, feeling the tip of the arrow slip out of his grasp as it slightly turned away. He cursed under whatever breath he had left as he turned his gaze back to the terrifying Night Fury: eyes bright green with a thin black line split in the center, small sharp teeth in his mouth, probably sharp enough to rip apart his throat. Armin couldn’t believe it. He shot down a Night Fury by accident, and now he was dying for saving his life. 

_ I was slowly losing my conscious, slowly losing air. As my last attempt of bravery in this life, I reached out towards the dragon, wishing to at least touch it. As I did, I felt a relief of pressure around my neck. I gasped for every single speck of air as if there were only a limited supply. I felt around the area for wounds or scratches, grateful to find neither. _

_ At the corner of my eye, I saw the dragon spread open his wings and lift off into the sky. Something was wrong with the way he flew, however; he kept crashing into his surroundings. I slowly looked back up to the now starry sky, my breathing back to its normal pattern. _

“Toothless…” Armin mumbled as his lips curved up into a smile. “I have finally… met… you…” He slowly closed his eyes, relaxing into the earth as he fell into an unusually peaceful state of unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter Four

It was a usual bright, sunny morning on Berk as many Vikings were preparing the ships for another trip to hunt for the elusive Dragon’s Nest. Chief Erwin stood at the port, organizing the order of the boats, the number of people on each boat and the number of supplies they needed for this trip, which might as well have been their last. 

“Ready the sails!” He commanded with every Viking on board replying loudly. 

“Chief!” Reiner called out as he walked down the port.

“Ah! Reiner! I’m glad you’re here!” Erwin said, wrapping his arm around the young Viking’s broad shoulders. 

“Glad to be here, sir! Where do you want me?”

“I want you in the arena to watch my son.”

“Great! I’ll report to- wait.” Reiner paused to register the information that was said to him. “You want me here on the island?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“N- no sir! I just thought I was going with you…”

“Reiner, my boy.” Erwin placed his hands on Reiner’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “You are like a son to me, you know that right?" Reiner nodded. "Good. Now I am going to say this nicely, but I don’t need you on this mission. I need you here to take care of Armin for me while I am gone. Got that?”

"But-"

"No buts! You're going to take care of Armin. Okay?"

“Yes, sir…” He replied sorrowfully. The Chief smiled at him and patted his back before he made his way onto a ship that started sailing into the deep blue. “Did you at least tell Armin that you’re leaving?”

“I trust you, Reiner!” The Chief yelled as the ship sailed further away from the docks. Reiner sighed. 

“And he’s gone,” he groaned, making his way up to the forge. “I hope Armin managed to get his life together and actually show up to class like he’s supposed to…”

Back at the training arena, Jean and the others chatted while they were getting ready for another training session with Levi. Armin strolled in with a wagon behind him, looking like he hadn’t slept in years: heavy bags camped under his eyes and his hair fell in unorganized tufts all over the place. He stepped closer to the center and everyone went silent, looking at him with pity over yesterday's fiasco.    
  
"Well, look who decided to stroll back in here," Jean snickered. "Back again, Useless?"   
  
"In your dreams, Jean." Armin mumbled as he grabbed the axe that was in his hands and replaced it with a sword. "I'm here to return the weapons that broke during the attack two days ago and retrieve the ones we let you borrow. After that, I'll be gone for good."    
  
"What? Why?" Eren asked, surprised by his friend’s news. "You were doing great yesterday!"   
  
"Apparently it wasn't enough for you guys," he glared at everyone excluding Mikasa and Eren, who just looked at the young heir with sorrow. "It's okay, though. I don't mind staying at the forge. It's the only thing I'm good at anyway."   
  
"Come on! You can't give up on us like that!" Connie said.    
  
"You were doing so good! I was cheering you on!" Sasha added. 

“Actually, it was Connie that was cheering me on, Sasha.” Armin said. “You were just dragging Connie out of the arena.”

“What? No! I was definitely cheering you on! Right?” Sasha asked, looking at her twin for reassurance. She only received a shrug from everybody.   
  
"Can you reconsider?" Marco asked, essentially pleading Armin to stay.   
  
Armin sighed as he dropped the axe into the wagon before pushing the wagon back a bit. "Connie, here is your mace, and Sasha, here are your axes. I'll be taking your swords now."    
  
"But I like the sword..." Connie muttered solemnly, admiring the gleaming weapon in his hand. Sasha nodded firmly beside him.   
  
"Give up or pay the fine."   
  
"How much is the fine?" Sasha asked cautiously.   
  
"Three coins."

"Aww man..." the twins whimpered as they placed the swords in the wagon and retrieved back their respective weaponry. Armin moved on to Marco, who only gave him a sad stare as he handed back the curved blade for his spear. He then moved on to Annie, who couldn't even bother to look at him.    
  
"I bet you miss your sword," Armin said as he grabbed her blade from the wagon. "I know I would've if I had it for a while."   
  
"How did you-"   
  
"The forge keeps a record, Annie. How do you think we know what adjustments are best for our customers?" He held out her sword, waiting for it to be replaced with the one he had given her. Surely she hated him by now after the whole Deadly Nadder situation, but she couldn't just give back the sword.    
  
"How much is the fine?" she asked, finally looking directly in his eyes.    
  
"Three coins," he replied stoically.    
  
"Here," she reached out into the pocket between her armor and her shirt, pulling out a small brown bag. "I'll pay you six, for both."    
  
Armin blinked, taken aback by her offer. "You sure? You can always-"   
  
"I'm sure, Arlert." She said as she replaced the sword with the coins.    
  
"Alright," Armin said, stuffing the coins in the inner pocket of his fur vest before pushing the wagon out of the arena. "See ya never again, guys."

“Yeah, see ya!” Connie said before receiving a push from Sasha. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“You shush.” Sasha said covering her twin’s mouth as she turned to face Jean. “You really don’t know the definition of nice, do you Jean?”

“Why are you putting the blame on me?” Jean asked innocently. “It’s his fault that he’s so weak and useless!”

“Shut your trap before I force it shut!” Reiner scolded as he entered the arena. “It’s not Armin’s fault that he lost his mother to a dragon when he was just a baby. It’s not Armin’s fault that his father, The Chief, watches him like a hawk and keeps him at home because he’s afraid of him dying.” Reiner grabbed Jean by the strap that was keeping the metal shoulder pads tied to the shirt. “It’s not Armin’s fault that he has shitty comrades like you.” He pushed him away and glared at everybody but Eren and Mikasa. “You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Instead of helping your future chief, you drove him away from what would have made him a great chief!”

Everyone looked down, ashamed after hearing Reiner’s words. It truly wasn’t Armin’s fault that all of these horrid things had occurred to him, and because of that, he was forced to live a life of pure simplicity instead of that life of normality. 

“Reiner.” Levi placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I think they get your point, but before you scare off my trainees, I want you at the back so that you can keep an eye on the kids while I keep an eye from the top.”

“Y- yes sir. Sorry sir.” 

“Don’t apologize. You pointed out something important. A Chief helps support the village, but the only time where a chief fails is when the village fails the chief.” Levi said before heading towards the same gate from yesterday. “I’m releasing the Gronckle from her cage again, because you all did a shitty job at it yesterday. Well almost all of you. Armin was the only one that actually had the guts to face this beast himself. You should all learn from him.”

“Yay…” Jean mumbled with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. There was another loud clatter as Levi’s shield zoomed past Jean’s head again and collided with the weapon rack behind him. Jean yelped pathetically, cowering as Levi lowered his hand. 

“Clean up the mess you made, Kirschtein. I don’t like my arena in shambles.”

“Y- yes, sir!” 

“Everyone else, get ready!” Levi ordered as he exited the arena and headed towards the gallery. Reiner quickly opened the gate and the Gronckle quickly flew out and headed straight towards the small Vikings who scattered to grab their shields. 

\---

Armin peeked over a boulder and scanned the quiet cove before him. He waited for a moment, focusing intensely on the shadows, before sighing and standing straight. 

“Where are you hiding,” he mused to himself as he made his way deeper into the cove. 

_ After my close encounter with Toothless last night, I couldn’t help but think back on the state of his injuries. Though I wasn’t aiming particularly high when I accidentally shot him, he still must have fallen from a significant height. After all, the splintered tree I had found was obviously coated in his blood. And when he flew away… Gods, it looked bad. I was worried for his safety, as crazy as that might sound. He was a massive, incredibly powerful dragon, after all. But there was something my father had told me time and time again. “A downed dragon is a dead dragon.” I only hoped I could find Toothless before something or someone else found him first. _

The cove stretched out into a massive clearing with a crater-like lagoon in the center. Though the Vikings were aware of this landmark, few rarely made their way out this far, as it was a common feeding ground for dragons. Armin slowed his pace as he approached and found cover behind trees, slyly peeking out to make sure the coast was clear before proceeding.

He reached the edge of the cliffside and peered into the clearing below. For a moment, he saw nothing: just shrubbery and fish swimming lazily in the lake below. Just as he was about to get up and move forward to scan the rest of the cove, he saw the Night Fury emerging from the shade of a cluster of small trees. The creature yawned, stretching himself out in the sun and shaking off the bits of leaves and dirt that had accumulated on his body during his slumber. He sat down and licked his wounds from the night before and then prowled towards the lake.

Armin watched in awe as the dragon attempted to hunt for his meal, but soon gave up when his lack of mobility, due to his injuries, prevented him from getting nothing more than a mouthful of water. As Armin shifted to get closer without falling in, he knocked a pebble from its place and it clattered down below, alerting the Night Fury almost instantly. Armin gasped and tried to hide himself, but realized his efforts were in vain when the two made eye contact.

_ Toothless was a little confused when he saw me at first, but the memories of the previous night seemed to have flashed across his eyes, because within seconds, he was charging towards me, growling once more. I yelped and stumbled back as he launched himself into the air. I expected two-tons of dragon to crush me within seconds, but instead, I was met with frantic scratching and a desperate dragon’s call as Toothless slid back down to the ground below. I frowned and moved forward, peering over the edge and watched him attempt to reach me a second time, but once more, tumble to the ground below. And that’s when I noticed the true and sorry state of his tail. Whatever bits of his fin that he had left after last night, were gone. He must have chewed them off or something.  _

_ I felt the weight of the world collapse on my shoulders as I watched him scatter away in defeat, back to the shade of the trees had taken shelter under.  _

“I did this,” Armin muttered, clenching his fists. He pulled himself to his feet and sighed, immediately looking around to find a path that he could take down to Toothless’s level. It would be incredibly stupid, fatal even, but he couldn’t just let the Night Fury starve in his physical state. “Damn it… I can’t find a clear path down there… And the fall is too steep. I have to do something though… I can’t leave him down there!” Armin mumbled to himself as he walked back and forth in the little space of his. He investigated the cove once more to see that there were a lot of places he could fly to, if he still had that small invention of his. That’s when it hit him. 

“My invention! The Omni-Directional Maneuver Gear! That’s it!” Armin exclaimed before covering his mouth quickly. Toothless peered up curiously towards the young Viking, causing him to quell his excitement. “If I make my gear again, then I’ll be able to reach him!” 

Enthusiastically, Armin ran out of the cove and towards the village, hoping neither Reiner or Bertholdt were around in the forge. They didn’t have to find out about his shenanigans, or the fact that he’s helping a dragon.

He burst through the forge and went towards his workspace, digging through scattered stacks of paper, all decorated with designs that Armin drew in his spare time. His ideas were unprecedented and he hoped, with all of his heart, he could make the Maneuver Gear work. At least this once.

“Oh, thank Thor!” Armin exclaimed as he unearthed the blueprint for his Vertical Maneuver Gear and immediately got to work. He hoped he could create something sturdy enough before the trainees and Reiner returned for the day. He just needed something that could get him to Toothless and back to the village. Nothing too extravagant.

After a few hours of working in the forge, Armin had something. It wasn’t the highest of quality, certainly not as good as the gear he had made earlier, but it would have to do for now. He scooped it into his arms and made a run for the door, before crashing directly into Reiner. Both of the Vikings stumbled backwards, though Armin was the only one to meet the floor in a rather ungraceful manner.

“Aye, watch where you’re going,” Reiner called out and his eyes locked on the gear in Armin’s grasp. “Hold up, is that…”

Armin scrambled to his feet and offered the blacksmith a nervous smile. “My gear,” he finished for him. “Um, yeah! I… Thought about what you said yesterday. About how this could help with the dragons.”

Reiner raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest, prompting the heir to continue.

“I… I…” Armin hesitated, trying to craft a lie that would satisfy Reiner enough to leave him be. “I reworked the design. And I wanted to test it out.”

“Test it out?” he queried. “In the arena?”

Armin shook his head. “N-no. Not there. Somewhere private. I want to make sure it really works this time before I show anyone.”

Reiner analyzed his expression, causing Armin to shift uncomfortably.

_ Can he tell that I’m lying? Reiner and I have spent a lot of time together and he, like Mikasa and Eren, was among the few who could read my expressions better than anyone else. Maybe I should have told him I was going to the arena. What if he follows me? Oh Thor, what have I done? _

Reiner broke into a smile and nodded. “Alright, I get it. You don’t want an audience.” Armin relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief and replicating his friend’s smile. “But you gotta promise me something, okay?”

“W-what is it?” Armin asked, his anxiety hitching once more.

“You’ll let me help you when it doesn’t work,” Reiner concluded. “And you won’t throw a tantrum again.”

Armin smiled once more. "You’ve got a deal. I’ll see you later, Reiner!”

He bolted through the village and Reiner waved after him, chuckling at his friend’s antics.

\---

Armin finished securing his gear to his body and peered over the drop into the clearing. Toothless was, once more, lounging under the cluster of trees. This time, however, he had his eyes locked cautiously on Armin. Whether this was to time an attack or merely to study the human before him, Armin couldn’t decide, but he had little time to think.

_ I locked my eyes on a protruding rock face about halfway down the cliff. If I could latch onto that, assuming the arrows are strong enough to penetrate stone, then I could safely descend towards Toothless. I reached my back, making sure the fishing pole I snagged from the docks earlier was fastened tightly to me. After confirming its position, I took a deep breath and aimed myself towards the rock face. It was now or never. _

Armin pressed the triggers and the tether from the canisters at his side shot out. They missed the target by a few inches and Armin sighed before retracting them and readjusting his position.

“Come on,” he pleaded to himself and pressed the triggers again. This time, they hit their mark, burying themselves deep in the rockface. Armin broke into a wild grin and celebrated, causing Toothless to look up curiously. “Don’t worry, Bud!” Armin called out. “I’ll be there to help you in just a second!”

Armin took a few steps back before jumping into a running start and saying a silent prayer to Odin that the moment he introduced his weight to the tension of the cables, they wouldn’t snap and send him careening to his death. 

_ I leapt from the ground and pressed another trigger to retract the cables again, but this time, I was pulled along with them. I waited intently for something to go wrong, but surprisingly, everything remained in one piece. I soared towards the rock and braced myself, slamming a little less gracefully into its surface. _

“Ow,” Armin hissed under his breath. “Note to self: running leaps are bad.”

As he dangled above the ground, he figured a fall from this height wouldn’t be as detrimental to his physical health, much to his relief, considering there wasn’t anything else Armin could latch onto. So, he took a deep breath and began to yank the cables out of the rockface, while holding onto the edge of the rock. He managed to get one of the arrows out, but struggled with the second one.

“Dammit, you’re really stuck in there,” Armin muttered to himself. He pulled with all of his strength and finally managed to remove the cable, but lost his grip on the rock in the process. He toppled towards the ground, slamming into the earth, but was grateful that his calculations were at least somewhat correct. Though he was in an incredible amount of pain, he was still alive and nothing felt broken. He’d have to work on his landing later.

After catching his breath and allowing the pain in his body to subside to a more manageable level, Armin got to his feet. He brushed himself off and looked towards Toothless, who wore an amused expression on his face, clearly entertained with the lack of physical stamina the Viking had.

Armin offered an embarrassed smile and took a few steps towards the dragon, but was immediately met with the Night Fury’s shift of expression. He growled, standing his ground.

_ Okay. Clearly Toothless still doesn’t trust me. That’s okay. We can work with this… Hopefully. They say the best way to reach a Viking’s heart is through its stomach. Maybe the saying rings true for dragons too? _

Armin stepped back from Toothless and retrieved the fishing pole, which, like Armin, had miraculously survived the fall. He walked to the edge of the lake and cast his fishing line before sitting down, occasionally glancing towards Toothless, who continued to watch him carefully.

It didn’t take long before something tugged on the line. Armin quickly reeled it in and laughed when he pulled out a fish. Certainly not enough to satiate the dragon beside him, but it was a start. He held up the fish and looked towards Toothless excitedly, receiving nothing more than a head tilt and little to no enthusiasm. Armin’s expression fell and he unhooked the fish and set it beside him.

_ I continued to fish for at least two hours. It was oddly comforting being trapped in the cove with a dragon that had tried to kill me the previous night. With each fish I pulled out, Toothless became more intrigued. He studied me carefully, likely determining if I was to be trusted or not. I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t; I’d hate to trust the person who immobilized and separated me from the rest of my pack. _

_ Though, I suppose he and I weren’t so different. We were alone on this island.  _

_ Well… Not entirely alone. We had each other. _

After Armin had gathered a sufficient supply of fish, he stood from his spot and stretched before retrieving one from the pile and facing Toothless. He held it up in front of him and tried to offer his most non-threatening smile.

“I bet you’re hungry,” Armin called out. “You can come over here and take my fish.”

Toothless remained stationary, however, but his eyes were hungrily trained on the fish in Armin’s hand. The Viking noticed this and an idea clicked in his mind. He tossed the fish in the air as hard as he could and it landed near Toothless.

The Night Fury looked down at the fish before looking back at Armin. There was still an incredible amount of doubt in his eyes.

“Go on!” Armin continued. “It’s for you!”

Toothless hesitated for a moment before finally pulling himself to his feet. He cautiously stalked over to the fish and sniffed it. He looked up to Armin once more and the Viking urged him to take the fish. Toothless obliged and devoured the creature in one bite, before sitting on his hind legs and licking his lips.

“That was good, right?” Armin asked. He reached for another fish and held it up. “Do you want another one?” He tossed it once more towards the Night Fury, but this time, the dragon ran to catch it in his mouth before it hit the ground.

_ I found myself laughing at the sudden playful nature of Toothless. As he swallowed the fish, the hesitation in his stance seemed to melt away. He stepped closer to me, eyeing the pile of fish at my side. I nodded and stepped away, allowing him access to my supply. He waited until I was a good enough distance away before bounding forward and burying his face in the mounds of fish. I watched him eat, fascinated by his behavior. He seemed far more intelligent and gentle than the Night Furies portrayed in the stories from my youth. There was something so enchanting and beautiful about him. _

As Toothless gulped down the last of the fish, he began sniffing the area, leading himself towards Armin. Berk’s heir stood still as Toothless took in his scent, likely looking for more fish.

“I don’t have any more,” Armin assured. “But I can catch you some more.”

Toothless took a step back and sat on the ground, cocking his head. 

“Would you like that?” Armin asked with a growing smile.

Toothless let out a soft rumbling growl before doing something miraculous. The corners of his lips began curling as he tried to mimic Armin’s grin. It was like watching a baby learn to smile for the first time. 

_ I felt my heart melt as I saw this ferocious creature become more and more human-like before my eyes. I couldn’t help but reach my hand out, wanting so desperately to connect with this dragon. But I must have scared him, because immediately, Toothless snarled and jumped away. _

“Sorry,” Armin said quietly. “Guess you’re not ready for that, huh? That’s okay. Making friends can be hard. I know quite a bit about that.”

Toothless snorted before leaping away, using his wings to glide towards the other end of the cove. When he landed, he circled around a point and blew fire underneath him before settling into the embers. He whipped his tail in front of him and used it to shield himself from Armin’s gaze.

_ I took a step forward, careful to not startle Toothless. I probably should have just accepted this gesture as Toothless’s way of telling me that I was no longer needed, but I couldn’t just leave now. I was onto something: something huge. I just needed to get a little closer. _

Armin was a few meters away from Toothless before the dragon sensed the disturbance. He lifted his tail and Armin froze. They held eye contact for a tense moment before Toothless stood and trotted away, scaling a nearby tree and resting on a branch. He wrapped his tail around it and then swung down, hanging like a bat, hugging his body with his wings.

“Incredible,” Armin noted to himself.

_ I wanted to advance towards him again, but I wondered what would happen if I allowed Toothless to have his space. So, I quietly turned on my heel and moved back to where I started fishing. I removed my gear from my waist and sat down with it in my lap. I fiddled with its components and started drawing diagrams in the dirt, hoping to rework some of the issues while I had this time to myself. However, I couldn’t stop myself from occasionally glancing up to marvel at the Night Fury.  _

As the sun began to set hours later, casting beautiful purples and reds across the settling cove, Toothless awoke from his slumber. He peeked through his wings and noticed that the young Viking was still present, however he seemed to be entranced by something in the dirt. Toothless slowly lowered himself to the ground and stretched, careful not to move in a way that would upset his wounds. 

When Armin wasn’t looking, the dragon approached, craning his neck to see what had been captivating the Viking on the ground. He kept inching closer, and closer, and closer until he was standing a mere meter away from the boy. Armin stopped drawing and looked up towards Toothless, who seemed to bear no expression of defense, but rather, curiosity. Armin’s eyes fell back to the sketches of his gear and he smiled before resuming his work. All the while, Toothless watched patiently.

A few moments later, Toothless marched off and Armin looked back up to follow him. The dragon returned to his cluster of trees and pawed at something at the ground. He then scooped up a large trunk in his mouth and trotted towards the open area of the cove before driving the wood into the ground and swirling around, copying Armin’s movements. 

_ I stood from my position and watched the Night Fury dance along the cove, tearing up the dirt with his makeshift pen. Everything was his canvas. When he got close to me, we would lock eyes and he’d offer a muffled warble before returning to his massive sketch. Finally, once he decided that his masterpiece was complete, he stopped in the middle and dropped the branch onto the ground, looking towards me expectantly. All I could do was stand in wonder, as I traced each of his lines around the cove. He hadn’t made a cohesive picture like I had, but what he was able to create was far greater than anything that had ever come out of my own pen. _

Armin took a step forward to continue analyzing the artwork, not realizing that he had placed a foot on one of Toothless’s lines. The dragon unleashed a low growl and Armin froze, before realizing where he had been standing. He lifted his boot and Toothless purred contentedly. Armin raised an eyebrow and placed his boot back on the line, eliciting another growl from the Night Fury, this one more fierce than the last. He lifted his boot again and the dragon’s purr echoed throughout the cove. 

Armin carefully stepped over the line and weaved in and out of the art, dancing across the cove in the same way Toothless had done. And with each step, his understanding of dragons became more and more clear. 

As he continued moving across the cove in a calculated pattern, Armin stopped when he realized he had backed up against something. Or rather, someone. He felt the hot breath of the dragon’s snort ruffle his hair and, very slowly, Armin stepped away and turned to face Toothless.

_ He was looking at me in a way I hadn't quite seen before. Not amusement, nor curiosity, nor anger. Instead, he was as gentle as a docile cat. He was calm and serene and, more importantly, he wasn’t backing away. I reached out my hand to touch him, hoping that this time, he’d allow me into his life, but Toothless let out a cautionary growl. I retracted my hand and he settled. And that’s when I realized my fault in all of this. I had been trying so desperately to get Toothless to submit to my gestures of friendship, I hadn’t even considered his own. Just like the dance I had performed earlier with his art, I had to do this his way. I had to let him come to me. _

Armin nodded slowly and turned his head away from Toothless and held out his hand, but this time, far enough away that the magnificent beast before him could finish the connection on his own accord. 

Toothless hesitated for a moment, even slightly moving forward to follow through, but pulled back to reconsider one last time. 

_ I felt him press his nose against my hand and I gasped softly. He lingered for a moment, his breath tickling my fingers. When he pulled away, I almost felt sad. _

Armin looked back at Toothless, waiting for some mystical confirmation that the two were now life-long friends, but instead, the dragon snorted and bounded away. Armin watched him, before looking down at his hand and smiling widely.

Not long after their tender moment, Armin decided it was time to pack up his things and make his way back to Berk. He secured his gear back on and managed to scale his way back up the cliffside. He looked back down at Toothless once more and offered the dragon a friendly wave.

_ Toothless called out in a low growl, outstretching his wings and flapping them. Almost as if he were begging me to stay. I quietly assured him that I would be back tomorrow, but there was still something that made me uneasy. I didn’t realize it until Toothless attempted to escape the pit once more. He clawed at the cliffside desperately, but slid back down. He warbled solemnly and sat down, watching me with a sorrowful expression.  _

_ We were quite similar, there’s no denying that. But there was one stark difference between the two of us: I could escape and he could not. And that didn’t sit well with me at all.  _

\---

Armin quietly slipped back into the forge to drop off his gear before returning to his hut for the night. He almost didn’t notice Reiner’s shadow lurking off to the side until he spoke up.

“You’re back late,” Reiner stated and Armin jumped, sending the Maneuver Gear scattering to the ground.

“A-Ah! R-Reiner!” Armin said nervously as he picked up his gear from the ground as quickly as possible. “N- nice to see you here!”

“I work here.” 

“Right! Right…” He gulped nervously. 

“Why were you late?” Reiner asked placing down his hammer, folding his arms across his chest. 

“I… Uhm… I was stuck! Yeah! Stuck in a tree!” Armin lied, hoping his nervous composure wouldn’t give him away. “T-the hooks got stuck in one of the tree trunks! So i-it took awhile for me to get it out because, you know me, small, weak, old Armin.” He ended with a small laugh as some sweat drops slowly trailed down the side of his head. Reiner raised a brow, signifying to Armin that he didn’t buy his lie at all. 

_ Aww man… I am so screwed…  _

Suddenly, Reiner laughed. “You took almost an entire day trying to free yourself from a tree? Dude! You have a freaking six-pack! Yet, you couldn’t pull a single hook from a tree!”

Armin blinked in surprise before joining Reiner in his laugh. “Yeah! I know right? Unbelievable!”  _ And totally not because I was feeding a dragon so that it wouldn’t starve to death.  _

“Get cleaned up, Armin. I want to show you something.” 

“Can’t you show it to me now, Reiner? Because there’s a chance that I will knock straight out once I get close to that bed of mine.” 

Reiner paused to examine Armin’s exhausted expression. “You do have a point there. Alright! I’ll show you what I made.” He stepped to the back of the forge and grabbed a small set of armor that was hanging on the wall. “I figured, maybe the reason why you don’t want to go back to the arena is because you feel unprotected. Everyone else has their nice armor, so I thought ‘why not make you one’. It can come in handy, sometimes!”

_ I took the armor from Reiner’s hands to inspect it carefully. It wasn’t a heavy-duty, steel armor that I had seen in the books that I have read, but it was pretty cool nonetheless. The material that it was made out of felt similarly to leather, but seemed stronger and more resistant: not too heavy, not too light. The sides looked like dragon scales had been engraved onto the material while the center chestplate was carved with some ancient Viking design I had never seen before. And while normally I would have been more interested in discovering the origin of the design, I didn’t quite care this time. I had my very own chestplate! And it came with shoulder plates!  _

“R-Reiner! This is amazing!” Armin said as he pulled it on. “And it actually fits!”

“Well of course! Why would I make something for you if it doesn’t fit?” 

“That’s true, I guess,” Armin mused as he continued to examine the fit of his new armor.

“I want you to wear it during training tomorrow.” Reiner added. “I know you said you didn’t want to get near that arena, but can you at least give it another chance?” 

Armin paused in his excitement and met the blacksmith’s gaze. “Reiner, I don't know…” 

“Armin, listen. You're going to mess up. That's human nature. But that doesn't give you the right to give up so easily. The Armin I know doesn't give up on a challenge, and I saw that Armin earlier today when he went out to try out his invention that I thought was buried deep underground.” He grabbed a sword that was hanging on the nearest wall and placed it in the heir’s hands. “You are a warrior, Armin. It's in your blood. Use it wisely, brother.” 

Armin slightly gasped at Reiner’s words before smiling brightly back at him. “I will, Reiner. I won't let you down.” Armin marched forward and hugged Reiner before heading back toward the door. “I'll see you tomorrow at the arena.” 

“I'll be cheering you on from the back as always, Arlert.” He nodded.

“Good to know, Reiner.” Armin smiled. “Good night.”


	6. Chapter Five

“Armin!” Reiner screamed, banging on the house door. “You are so dead when I get my hands on you!” 

Armin laid in his nice, warm, comfy bed, wrapped around his nice warm comfy fur blanket. “Mhm… Reiner… Shush, I’m trying to sleep!”

“Do you have any idea what time it is?!” Reiner continued. “You’re going to be late!”

“I wanna sleep!”

“I thought you wanted to try out your new armor I made you! Didn’t you say you wanted to show off to your peers _ and _ try to get on Annie’s good side? Oh well.” Reiner smirked. “Looks like you will never get noticed by Annie after all!” 

_ I groaned at Reiner’s words. If he thinks I’m going to get up from bed by using Annie as bait, then he’s dead wrong! Like yes, I want to try to impress the girl I like a lot, but there’s no way she’ll fall for someone like me over a chestplate. _

“Are you seriously not going to get up from that bed?”

“I want to…” Armin mumbled. “But the thought of embarrassing myself in public again is keeping me down.”

Reiner sighed, opened the door to the house and peered inside. “Dude, you promised you would attend.”

“I know, I know.” He sat up on his bed as Reiner stepped into the house and approached his room, gently pushing open the door. “But… I don’t want the fiasco that happened the last time I was there to happen again.”

“Armin, you live and you learn. Now buck up and get over it,” Reiner said as he grabbed onto Armin’s legs and pulled him off of his bed. “Now you’re going to that class! Even if I have to drag you by the feet!” 

“Ow! Reiner! Let go!” Armin persisted as he tried to pull himself out of Reiner’s grasp.

“Not happening,” he said as he started dragging the blond across the hardwood floor. “Not until you decide to go to class!”

“Alright, alright! I’ll go! I’ll go to class!” Armin screamed. “Just let me go!” 

“Sorry,” Reiner smirked as he lifted the blond higher in the air. “I didn’t quite hear that.”

“I’ll go to class, alright? Now can you please let me down before my shirt slips off!” 

“Whatever you say, future chief.” Reiner obeyed and let the blond fall down head first. “Now get dressed! Class starts in 10!” 

Armin grumbled under his breath, rubbing his head as he walked towards his closet. “Geez… you didn’t have to drag me out of bed. I was going to go anyway.” 

“We both know very well that you weren’t going to get out of that bed.”

“Tch… That is true…” Armin slipped on his new armor.

“Now come on. You’re going to be late.”

\--

The arena was bustling with quiet chattering that came to an immediate halt as soon as Armin walked in behind Reiner. Some of his classmates smiled in his direction while others look disinterested. As Armin joined the rest of his classmates in the center of the ring, he noticed that Jean held back on his usual comments. Instead, he looked away, avoiding direct eye contact with him.

“Welcome back,” Eren said with a cheerful nudge as Levi approached them.

“Alright, trainees,” he called out and locked eyes with Armin. “It’s good to see _ everyone _here today. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Today, you’ll be working in pairs and facing an entirely new dragon: the Hideous Zippleback! Can anyone tell me any particular interesting traits about the Zippleback? Kirschtein, maybe? You seem to enjoy running your mouth.”

Jean looked up and sighed. “A Hideous Zippleback is a dragon with two heads. One spits gas, the other one lights it.”

“I’m impressed. You don’t exactly strike me as the studying type, Kirschtein.” Levi faced the rest of the group. “Reiner will pair you up. The idea is for you and your partner to figure out how to take down the Zippleback.”

As soon as Armin heard Reiner’s name come up, he looked towards his friend and mentor fearfully as the older blond shot him a knowing look: one that seemed to say, “You’ll thank me for this later.” Which Armin desperately hoped it didn’t mean what he thought it meant.

“Alright, kids,” Reiner announced, clapping his hands together. “Jean and Eren, Mikasa and Connie, you'll go first. Sasha and Marco,” His eyes fell upon Armin and they lit with amusement. “And Annie and Armin, second.”

Armin winced before looking over to see how Annie reacted. She wasn’t thrilled, but at least she wasn’t demanding a new partner. That was, hopefully, a step in the right direction.

“Interesting choices,” Levi mused aloud. “But I’ll take it. And to make this even more thrilling, we’ll be holding a little contest to see which team can work better with each other. Eren and Jean, you’ll be going up against Mikasa and Connie. The first to successfully take out the Zippleback will win.”

“Ooh!” Connie enthused, “what do we win?”

“Well, for starters,” Reiner began, “you won’t be dead.”

The other trainees snickered quietly and Connie nodded thoughtfully.

“That is one part,” Levi sighed, “but you’ll also be a few steps closer to getting to kill your first dragon in front of the entire village.”

_ I shuddered at the thought, thinking back on Toothless. I wasn’t entirely fond of the idea. All I had to do was be good enough to pass. Not to win. _

“You will need to be smart in how you take down the Zippleback,” Levi continued. “There aren’t going to be any weapons in the arena, so brace yourselves. Every dragon can be taken down without a sword or axe, it’s your responsibility to study those ways.” 

“Sir,” Marco asked suddenly, “what about Sasha, Annie, Armin and I?”

“You four will be sitting on the sidelines and watching. I want you to listen to what’s going on and use that to your advantage tomorrow when you go up against the Zippleback.”

“That’s not fair,” Jean protested. “Why do they get an advantage?”

Levi sighed, as if he were holding back to urge to throw another shield in Jean’s direction. “That’s how life works. Some Vikings get advantages over others. You four going up today have to learn to adapt on the spot. If you have a problem with my teaching methods, Reiner and Bertholdt can lead you out.”

Jean glanced at the two other men before shaking his head solemnly and silencing himself.

“I thought so,” Levi said. “If you need to tap out at any moment, find Bertholdt or Reiner. They’ll be stationed somewhere in the arena.” Levi nodded towards the aforementioned Vikings and then motioned for Armin, Annie, Sasha, and Marco to follow him outside of the arena.

As soon as everyone had been situated, Levi waved his hand towards Bertholdt who nodded firmly and went to unlatch one of the larger gates. As the door swung open, the arena began filling up with a noxious, green gas. The trainees below gagged viciously, trying to get their final gulps of clean air before succumbing to the dragon’s deadly attacks.

_ I couldn’t take my eyes off the arena. From within, we heard the stomping and clicking of a dragon as it prowled through the thick fog. We could just barely hear the others talking amongst themselves, but not as clearly as we had hoped. Though it became very clear that Eren and Jean were already failing at the whole “teamwork” portion of this training exercise. _

_ The dragon’s clicking and hissing got more aggressive as they continued to hunt their prey. Then, it fell eerily quiet. Those of us in the stands held our collective breath as we waited for something, anything, to happen. _

“Son of a--”

Jean’s exclaim was cut short by a dragon roaring loudly, then followed by him screaming in terror. Chaos shattered the silence as Jean and Eren made their way to the edges of the arena, away from the dense gas that congregated in the center. They hacked their lungs out before looking up desperately at Levi.

“I’m not the one you’re supposed to find,” Levi reminded them firmly.

“That thing’s gonna kill us,” Jean shouted, pounding his fists against the stone wall. Eren nodded frantically.

“Get us out of here,” Eren pleaded.

“Both of you will get back in there or I’m failing you,” Levi shouted.

_ Jean opened his mouth to argue again, but was cut off by Sasha’s gasp and clattering as she rose to her feet. We all saw it in the stands, but the poor trainees below didn’t. “Eren!” I yelled. He looked up at me curiously and noticed I was pointing past him. Emerging from the gas was the shadow of the vicious, two-headed hunter that had been attracted by their screaming. One of the heads dived down, grabbing Jean by his boots and yanking him back into the gas. The other scooped Eren by his collar and they, once more, disappeared into the gas. I got up from my seat and ran to the edge of the arena, ready to jump past the chain-linked dome to save my friend, but Levi stopped me by slamming a sword in front of me. I skid to a halt and he shook his head. _

“Sit back down, Arlert. This is their fight, not yours.”

“But, Sir…”

“If they’re in any real danger, Reiner and Bertholdt will take care of it. Don’t make me tell you again.”

Armin eyed the blade separating him from his friends and then sighed, before sitting back down. But that didn’t stop him from teetering over the edge of his seat anxiously, squinting to look past the thick cloud and towards the worried shouting from both of the captured boys.

The screaming didn’t last long, which worried the rest of the trainees. But soon, the cloud began to dissipate, revealing the not-so-grisly scene before them.

The Zippleback coughed and sputtered, stumbling around the arena as Mikasa propped Eren to his feet and Connie offered his support to Jean. Reiner and Bertholdt quickly ushered the dragon back into captivity and just like that, the fight was over.

Levi led the rest of the trainees back into the arena and crossed his arms.

“Congratulations, Mikasa and Connie,” he said stoically. “As for you muttonheads,” he nodded towards Jean and Eren, “maybe next time you’ll learn not to give your position away by screaming.”

“It hurts,” Jean groaned miserably and Eren nodded, shouldering his arm.

“Quit your blubbering,” Levi scolded. “You’re alive, aren’t you? You’re perfectly fine to spend the next few hours cleaning up the arena.”

Jean opened his mouth to protest, but hesitated before falling silent and submitting to defeat.

“As for the rest of you, take this lesson to heart and rest up. I don’t want anymore antics like this tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir,” the trainees responded solemnly and they began exiting the arena. Armin wished his friends good luck before spotting Annie and running to chase her down.

“Hey,” he called and Annie looked back at him, but continued moving forward. He caught up with her and smiled. “So, do you have any ideas on how to defeat the Zippleback tomorrow.”

“Just stay out of my way and shut up?” Annie threw back at him. Armin’s face fell and then he laughed nervously.

“I get it,” he assured. “But Annie, I really think I could help.”

“You gave up on the first day,” Annie snapped back. “I don’t work with quitters, Arlert. And I don’t want you standing in the way of me slaying my first dragon. You’ve already done it once, and I swear to Thor if you do it again…”

“Right,” Armin finished for her, stopping and watching her storm off. “Nice chat…”

\---

_ I returned to the forge and dug through a stack of papers before pulling out the design sketch that I had worked on the night previous. I had barely gotten any sleep, it was no wonder I couldn’t bring myself to wake up on time for Dragon Training today. I smoothed out the paper on my worktable and made a few last minute sketches. Reiner and Bertholdt would be spending the rest of the afternoon with Levi, preparing for tomorrow’s duel with the Zippleback. So I had the entire forge to myself. Thank Thor. _

“Toothless is going to love this,” Armin said, finishing one last line before holding the blueprint in front of him. It was a primitive design, sure, but it would be giving Toothless back his ability to fly. Or at least… Fly with a rider. Armin wasn’t sure how well that would bode with the Night Fury, but it was certainly worth a shot.

He stood from his table and moved to Reiner’s end of the forge, where all the damaged weapons resided from previous dragon attacks. He gathered a few of the busted shields and splintered swords and took them back to his end of the forge, grabbing his apron on his way. 

_ First I took the sword. It was heavy in my grasp, definitely meant for a larger, sturdier Viking, unlike myself. But the material was strong. That’s all I needed. I thrust the sword into the hot coals of the hearth, watching it intently as the metal softened. I then took it to my anvil and pounded it, trying to round it out into a metal rod. I did this back and forth until I got the piece I wanted, and then I switched my attention to the shield. I dismantled the nails that held it together, ripped apart the metal framing, and heated them up too. With everything at my disposal, I used it to create elaborate pieces for my gift to Toothless. I even cut up my apron for this and prayed that the dragon would accept my offering. _

After finishing his project, Armin stealthily folded it up to make it look more inconspicuous, slipped on his maneuver gear, and made his way down to the docks, where Hannes, a local fisherman, was quietly lounging, clearly intoxicated. He caught sight of Armin and laughed loudly.

“Aye! Look at who it is,” he slurred with a grin, “my favorite Viking.”

“Hello, Hannes,” Armin greeted, fishing for a coin pouch. “I want to buy one basket of fish if you don’t mind.”

“One basket of fish?” Hannes questioned. “I thought the chief was out of town?” He burst out laughing at his own joke and Armin managed a smile. “Of course I don’t mind, my boy! But what does a scrawny little Viking like yourself need all that fish for? You’re not secretly feeding the dragons, are ya?”

Armin’s eyes widened and Hannes burst into more joyous laughter, which Armin nervously joined in. “N-no! That would be foolish. You think all of this… Raw Viking material,” Armin gestured to himself, “could feed a dragon? Let alone take one down?”

“You’re a funny one, Armin,” Hannes complimented and stood from his position. He walked to his supply and handed it off to the heir, gently pushing away the coin in his hand. “On the house. Or… Docks I suppose. Just behave yourself, yeah?” He clapped Armin’s back and laughed once more before stumbling back to his post, allowing Armin to continue on his path back to the cove.

\---

“Hey Toothless!” Armin called out in a sing-songy voice as he removed his maneuver gear and set it aside. He lifted the basket of fish and searched the cove for the elusive dragon. “I have dinner for you!”

_ That seemed to do the trick. Toothless poked his head from a cluster of bushes and he purred in my direction, his eyes locking onto the basket in my hands. I set it before me and kicked it over, watching the excitement grow in his eyes. He trotted over and began sniffing out his bounty. _

“I got a nice selection for you,” Armin continued. “Some salmon, some icelandic cod. I think there’s even a smoked eel in there for you.”

As Toothless continued to paw through the fish, he stopped immediately above the eel and pulled back, hissing angrily in its direction. Armin raised an eyebrow and bent down to pick it up, before presenting it to Toothless, who recoiled in fear.

“Oh!” Armin exclaimed before turning and tossing the eel in the lake. He faced Toothless, who had calmed down significantly, but was still a little on edge. Armin wiped his hand against his fur vest and then chuckled nervously. “I’m not much of an eel person either.”

Toothless let out a soft warble before returning to the fish. He picked one out of the pile and scarfed it down.

_ He’s liking the fish. That’s good! I just need to get this fin on him now. I walked around him and approached his tail. As I got closer, it twitched and thumped out of my reach, but after some persistent hunting, I managed to press it against the ground while I started putting the new tail fin in place. Toothless seemed content, more interested in his fish than anything. Him being still allowed me to finish setting the fin as I straddled his tail for extra security. I sat back to admire my work and began picking out the little flaws that I had planned to work on later. _

_ Before I knew it, I was off the ground. _

Toothless took the skies the second he felt the new fin in place of his old one. He had felt that rush of adrenaline that reminded him so much of flying and he couldn’t remain on the ground any longer. Unfortunately for the young Viking hanging desperately onto his tail, this meant that he would be whisked away from the safety of stable ground as well.

As Toothless began to climb higher into the air, Armin realized that his fin had not been properly deployed and this flaw was starting to drag both of them to the ground at an alarming speed. He fought against the wind and reached over, fanning the fin out and Toothless stabilized just moments before slamming into the ground. 

“I-it’s working!” Armin called out and laughed victoriously. 

_ I couldn’t believe it. Not only did this invention work better than I hoped, but I had managed to give this dragon his freedom back. It was only fair after the pain I had caused him. Of course, there were some drawbacks. The current design I had meant that Toothless would need to have a rider to properly set the fin in the correct flying positions. But hearing the dragon’s pleased roars as he soared around Berk’s perimeter was enough for now. _

“Okay, bud!” Armin said and he manipulated the tail to bring them back into the cove. The last thing they needed was to be spotted by the Vikings. Toothless, however, wasn’t too happy to be back in the pit he had crash landed in. He looked back towards the celebrating Viking and snorted before making a sharp turn and whipping him off, sending him splashing into the lake below. However, the reality of his new freedom became clearer as he, too, also careened into the lake.

Armin swam to the surface, gasping for air just as the Night Fury made his own splash. He let out a laugh and pumped his fist victoriously in the air as Toothless warbled disapprovingly, but there was still a look of excitement in the dragon’s eyes. Everything was about to change. And they both knew it.

\---

The door to the Zippleback enclosure burst open and the thick, oozing gas spread into the arena once more. Armin secured his armor and looked around anxiously as Annie pressed his back into his.

“What do you want me to do?” Armin asked quietly.

“Stay quiet and find a bucket.”

“A bucket?” Armin queried and Annie elbowed him. 

“Yes, Yak-for-Brains. Levi placed them around the arena. We need to get the head that sends out the sparks wet.”

Armin nodded and they quietly moved through the arena, keeping their eyes peeled for anything remotely resembling a bucket filled with water.

“I think I see one,” Armin called out softly and briefly left Annie’s side to grab what was, indeed, a bucket filled with water. 

_ Finally, I was doing something useful for Annie. I lifted the bucket so that she could see and she motioned frantically for me to return to her side. I did so, perhaps a little too quickly, because the next thing I knew, I had tripped over my own two feet just mere inches away from Annie. I saw her eyes widen in fear before we collided. We were drenched in water as it spilled from the bucket in between us and we crashed into the ground. In a rather… Awkward position. _

Armin gasped when he realized he was pinning Annie down. She made an attempt to push him off and was met with giggles from someone beside them.

“Ooh!” Sasha teased as she and Marco came into view, both cradling their own buckets, “Love on the battlefield!”

Annie’s face flared red and she shoved Armin off of her. Berk’s heir fell backwards and Annie scrambled to her feet, staring him down viciously, like a dragon cornering their prey.

Just as she was about to come down on him and possibly end his life right there, Marco called out, “Zippleback, twelve o’clock!” To which Sasha replied, “Where’s 12 o’clock,” met with Marco’s frustrated, “Just throw the water on its head!”

Annie turned back watching as the battle was slipping through her grasp. Just when the other team was about to drench the Zippleback, they were immediately brought to their backs by the dragon’s tail swiping underneath them. Like Armin and Annie, they were now covered in water.

Armin brought himself to his feet, rubbing the back of his head and watching as the Zippleback began charging towards him and Annie, absolutely furious.

“Oh, for the love of Thor,” Annie growled.

_ I had always admired Annie’s courage and bravery, but I could tell the frustration she was experiencing was causing her thoughts to become muddled. Instead of doing something more logical, like running away, she bore her fists, ready to beat the dragon to Valhalla and back. It was a fight she was going to lose; most people aren’t capable of punching a dragon to death, anyway. I panicked, patting my vest to make sure I still had my secret weapon tucked away. _

“Annie, wait!” Armin hollered, but, of course, the warrior wouldn’t budge. Armin ran to join her side, but was far too late. The Zippleback reared its heads and brought them against Annie’s chest, sending her flying across the arena. Armin watched in horror, stopping in his tracks to run back towards Annie, who seemed to have been knocked out. Or worse. But his attempt at heroics was stopped when he heard the pounding of the Zippleback’s feet coming for him.

Armin whipped around, seeing the murderous rage in the dragon’s eyes. He only had seconds to react before he joined Annie on the floor. He reached into his vest underneath his armor and retrieved a whole, smoked eel, holding it out for the dragon to see.

Immediately the Zippleback skid to a halt and hissed horrifically, recoiling just as Toothless had done the previous night. Armin noticed this and put on a brave face before taking a step closer.

“Get back!” he shouted with more ferocity than he knew he had in him. “Back!”

The Hideous Zippleback obliged, cowering whenever Armin got too close. Finally, Armin got them to return to their pen and he tossed the eel inside, watching the dragons scurry to the corner furthest away from the offending fish. They roared out desperately, but Armin cut them off by slamming the pen door shut.

_ After the adrenaline had worn off, my attention returned towards Annie. I ran across the arena as the gas cleared. I dropped to my knees beside her and lifted her into my arms as the others began swarming around me. _

“Annie?” Armin asked quietly. He noticed that she was still breathing, which caused him to sigh in relief. “Oh, thank Thor.”

“Arlert!” Levi yelled and Armin jumped, before rotating himself to see their instructor approach. He didn’t look too pleased with the situation.

_ Well… Shit. _

“What in the world did you do?” Levi demanded.

“I swear, I didn’t hurt her,” Armin insisted, but Levi shook his head.

“No! Not with her. With the dragon?”

“The dragon?”

“Yes the dragon! In all my years of training,” Levi continued, “I have never seen a student forgo using the water and actually emerge victorious.”

_ I thought on his words, suddenly aware of the situation I had put myself in. I wanted nothing more than to test a hypothesis: do the negative effects of smoked eels work on all dragons or just Night Furies? And I had certainly gotten my answer, but at what cost? I felt the interrogating gaze of everyone fall on me and I swallowed heavily, debating the best way to explain my actions. _

“I… I don’t…”

“Isn’t it obvious,” Sasha exclaimed. “He scared the dragon back into its pen! Armin the Useless? More like Armin the Dragon Conqueror!”

“Scared the dragon back into his pen?” Levi asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Marco supplied. “We couldn’t see him too well because of the gas, but Sasha and I both saw him walking towards the dragon and it walking away, as if it were terrified of him.”

“Armin the Dragon Conqueror!” Sasha insisted once more and Levi looked back at Armin.

“Is this true?”

_ Well… I’m already in too deep. _

“Yes?” Armin responded and Levi frowned. He analyzed the boy’s expression calmly before shaking his head and facing Bertholdt and Reiner, who had been watching the scene unfold in stunned silence.

“You two, take Ms. Leonhardt to the infirmary.”

“Yes, Sir!” Bertholdt called and he and Reiner rushed to remove Annie from Armin’s hold. Reiner gave Armin a reassuring look before the three left the arena.

“Does this mean Armin and Annie won?” Eren asked and Levi sighed.

“It appears that way,” he replied. “Marco and Sasha, you’ll be staying behind to clean up. The rest of you head home. We’ll reconvene tomorrow for the next part of your training.”

The trainees all nodded, saluting their trainer as they exited. Armin quietly walked by, catching Levi’s gaze. He was focused intently on the young heir, still mentally processing how one scrawny human could intimidate one of the more powerful dragons that Berk housed.

Even as Armin left the arena, joined suddenly by Mikasa and Eren, he was bombarded with hushed whispers. Everyone was still in awe of what had just happened and Armin couldn’t fault them. He was surprised himself. He didn’t know that the smoked eel was going to work. However, it did mean one thing: he was closer than he had ever become to beating out someone else for the honor of killing a dragon before the village and his father. 

“You guys go on ahead.” Armin said as he saw Reiner and Bertholdt leave the healer’s hut. “I want to check on Annie,”

“What? Why?” Eren asked. “She treated you harshly back there!”

“Just because we don’t see eye to eye doesn’t mean I have to treat her the way she treats me, Eren. She is my comrade, and comrades take care of each other no matter what.” He finished before parting ways with his best friends, running quickly towards Reiner.

“I don’t get Armin sometimes,” Eren sighed heavily.

“He’s just a great friend, Eren.” Mikasa said. “You can’t blame him for caring about others. A chief needs to be nice too. Caring. Not just plain old strong and feared.” 

“I still think he shouldn’t even bother with Annie.”

“You need to learn to not judge Armin’s mindset.”

“Yeah, whatever. Let’s get home, I’m starving!” Eren said as he started picking up his pace with Mikasa not that far behind. 

“Reiner! Bertholdt!” Armin called out, running towards the two men. Reiner stopped in his tracks and turned towards Armin as he took a breather. “How is she?” 

“She’s… I don’t know,” Reiner confessed. “She’s being seen by the town healer right now, but the hit she took was a big one…” 

“She’s going to be fine,” Bertholdt interrupted. “You know her, Armin. She’s strong. She can get through anything.”

“Yeah…” Armin sighed thoughtfully. “But I feel like I could’ve done something more: be, at least, useful for her!”

“You are being useful, Armin,” Reiner assured. “You’re here worrying about her instead of going back to the forge or home and doing nothing to help her. Sometimes, doing nothing but caring is being useful.” 

“I… I guess…”

“Come on,” Reiner wrapped his arm around the smaller blond’s shoulders. “Let’s go back to the forge. You can come visit her later, okay?”

“Y- yeah…” 

\--- 

The sun was now starting to set as the young future chief made his way to the healer’s hut with a small package wrapped in a cloth. As he approached the door, he couldn’t help but shake at the thought of knocking, or even seeing her in general.

_ What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she doesn’t accept my “get well soon” gift? Ah who am I kidding? Of course she doesn’t want to see me! Not after I tripped on her! Not after what I “took” from her. _

_ It doesn’t hurt to try, though. _

“Hello?” Armin said as he gently knocked on the door, waiting patiently for someone to open the door. As time continued to pass with no answer, he began tapping his foot impatiently. “I- I’m guessing you’re busy so, uhm… I’ll come back later!” He quickly turned around and was ready to dash all the way home before the door finally became ajar. A short-statured woman with shoulder-length, orange-toned hair stood at the entryway to investigate the sudden knocking before noticing Armin. 

“Armin?” He turned around. 

“Miss Petra!” he greeted. “Y- you’re here! I- I thought no one was home.”

“You were the one that knocked?” Petra asked. “I am so sorry! I was upstairs in the attic fixing the gaps on the roof with extra wooden planks after the last dragon attack.” 

“I- if you’re busy, I can come back tomorrow! I- I was just going to drop off something for Annie s- so I’ll be on my-”

“Wait, you’re here to see Annie?” She smiled brightly. “Well, why didn’t you say so? I would’ve let you in ages ago!” Petra opened the door, revealing some of the healing hut’s massive interior. 

“I- I don’t think I-”

“Nonsense! Come in, come in!” Petra insisted as she stepped to the side. Armin shakily sighed as he walked into the hut and immediately noticed his partner-in-training laying on a bed. He frowned. 

“How is she doing?” he asked, slowly making his way towards the bed. 

“I don’t know,” Petra said as she closed the door. “She hasn’t woken up since she arrived here.” He quickly turned his head towards Petra.

“She hasn’t woken up yet?” She shook her head. 

_ I pulled up a chair and looked back down at Annie, sleeping so calmly in that bed… I felt this shiver go up and down my spine at the thought of Annie not waking up again. But this feeling felt oddly familiar to me, as if it had already happened. Still, the thought of Annie not waking up frightened me… I’ll be losing more than a comrade if she ended up not living. _

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Petra finally said, breaking the silence. 

“T- thank- I mean, what?!” Armin quickly stood up from his chair. “That really isn’t necessary, Miss Petra! I- I was just leaving! There’s no need to-”

“There’s no need to hide the fact that you love Annie, Armin,” she mused with a small smile.

“What? What are you talking about! I don’t love Annie!” He lied. “S- she’s just a friend and she hates me very much! Like hates me, hates me. Did I mention she hates me?”

“She doesn’t hate you, Armin. She’s just hiding under that cold exterior shell of hers, but once you crack open her shell, she’ll be falling head over boots for you.”

“Now you’re just making things up to make me feel better, Petra.”

“Whatever you say, future chief.” Petra giggled as she headed back upstairs to finish up her maintenance. She turned around once more at the blond and gave off a small smile. “You already cracked her open, Armin. She’s just afraid of admitting it.”

_ I carefully reached out to move some of her hair from her face, even though however she looked liked, however messy her hair was, she was still a goddess amongst everybody in my eyes. As I brushed away the loose strands, I couldn’t help but gently hold her face in my hand, runnig my thumb against her cheek. “Annie Leonhardt, why do you have to be so damn beautiful…” I said to myself as I slowly started to lean forward, inching myself closer and closer to her. I didn’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t aware of what was going on in my head until I was centimeters away from her lips… Then I stopped… _

“I- I can’t…” Armin sighed as he leaned himself against the chair. “I can’t… I’m not her Prince Charming that can wake her up with ‘True Love’s Kiss’. She’s probably crushing on some other dude in this village, anyway.”

_ I got up from the chair and placed it back to where it belonged as I set the little package I brought for her down on the counter next to her bed. I pulled out a note that I had prepared in advance, just in case she didn’t want to see me or she was asleep, and placed it next to the package. I then did something that I knew I was going to regret; I leaned in once more and placed a small kiss on her cheek, my way of saying goodbye. As I did that, Annie’s eyes slowly fluttered open. _

“Oh, sugar honey iced tea!” Armin cursed to himself as he quickly stepped back from the blonde, tripping on his own two feet and falling onto the ground. Annie groaned lowly as she sat up, stretching her sore arm and back muscles. Armin couldn’t help but blush a deep red as she saw the clothing she was wearing: a small white shirt that reached up to her upper abdomen, barely long enough to cover her feminine body. She had finished cracking the bones of her neck before turning her gaze towards the blond, who quickly stood up and turned around to avoid seeing what he wasn’t allowed to see. 

“Armin?” 

“H- hi Annie! Y- you’re awake!” he nervously said, keeping his gaze fixated on the opposite wall, which made the other blonde confused. 

“Is everything alright?” Annie asked looking at her surroundings. “What happened? Where am I?”

“Y- you don’t remember?” She shook her head.

“Well I wouldn’t be asking you if I remembered, you dumbass!”

“R- right! S- sorry!” He cleared his throat. “W- well you got hit by one of the heads of the Zippleback and it k- knocked you out cold. L- luckily Reiner and Bertholdt was there to take you to the healer’s hut…”

“Ah. I see.” She mumbled before shooting her head back up. “Does that mean we lost?!” 

“N- no. I- I did what I did best and I scared the dragon away,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry…” 

“Tch. Of course you would,” she grumbled as she looked back at Armin, who still had his back to her. “Why are you standing like that, Arlert? Are you _ that _ afraid of me?”

“N- no! I’m not afraid of you at all! I- it’s just…” He gulped. “A- are you sure you want the future chief to look at the village’s most respective Viking warrior without any ‘appropriate’ clothing on?”

“What are you talking about?” Annie asked before noticing her appearance. “Oh my gods!” Her face flushed a bright red as she quickly covered herself with the blanket she had over her legs. “Arlert! Where are my clothes?”

“W- why are you asking me?!” He screamed. “I just got here!”

“Then find them before I fucking cut you in half!” 

“Y- yes ma’am!!” Armin quickly looked around the room, avoiding any visual contact with Annie until he found her shirt and her armor folded neatly at the entrance of the hut. “Found your shirt!”

“Great! Now give it to me AND DON’T YOU DARE SNEAK A PEEK ARLERT!” She warned. 

“Yes ma’am!” Armin replied as he quickly grabbed the shirt, closed his eyes, and ran straight towards Annie. Being the clumsy boy that he is, Armin managed to trip on his two feet, colliding with Annie again. 

_ I was too afraid to open my eyes. I didn’t want to see Annie’s furious face before I died, but did I have any other choice? I needed to see what I got myself into for being my stupid, clumsy self. That’s when I realized something out of place. Something felt different… _

Armin managed to pin down Annie once more, but this time, their lips managed to touch in a small kiss. After realizing what he had done, Armin quickly pushed himself off. 

“I am so sorry, Annie!” he exclaimed, breathing quite heavily for someone who was about to die. He quickly ran out the door, leaving Annie laying down in shock. 

_ I just kissed Annie Leonhardt… I just kissed Annie Leonhardt! I JUST KISSED ANNIE LEONHARDT! ON THE LIPS! _

_ I AM SO DEAD! _


	7. Chapter Six

_ After my first victory in the arena, life seemed to pass by rather quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly for my liking. Two more weeks of Dragon Training were in the bag and I had spent quite literally most of my time escaping my responsibilities. Annie still seemed pissed about what happened in the healing hut, so I figured the best thing I could do was avoid her at all costs. I hid by Eren and Mikasa’s side whenever I was in the arena, and quickly retreated to the cove afterward, avoiding confrontation. Toothless was always happy to see me though.  _

_ Over the course of the past two weeks, we had gotten considerably closer. He no longer waited for me to submit before he came out of his shelter. The second he heard me approach, he was at the edge of his pit, calling out in an excited growl. All the while, the more time I spent with him, the more I came to know about dragons. Like how certain plants turned them docile while others killed them in a heartbeat. Some dragons had little pressure points under their jaw, and when scratched, it sent them into a peaceful state of relaxation. And of course, all dragons seemed to love chasing light reflections. _

_ But nothing could quite prepare me for the first time Toothless and I flew together, beyond Berk’s borders. _

“Alright, Bud,” Armin soothed as he tried to slide on the saddle he had slaved over for the past two weeks on the fussing dragon. “Come on,” Armin pleaded, “I know it’s uncomfortable, but you’ll get used to it!”

Toothless snorted and yanked himself away from Armin’s grasp, clearly not impressed or interested.

“Look,” Armin continued, ceasing his attempts, “You and I both know you can’t fly without me to guide you. I think I’ve finally got the designs just right this time. I promise we won’t crash land again.”

Toothless growled lowly, before taking off.

“Hey!” Armin laughed as he scattered after the dragon. “Get back here!”

Soon enough, the Night Fury had worn himself out and he slowed to a halt. He turned back towards Armin and eyed the saddle nervously.

“C’mon Toothless,” Armin coaxed gently, “you trust me, yeah? Don’t you miss the world outside the archipelago?” Toothless responded with a solemn warble. “I know you do, Bud! That’s why I made this saddle. Look,” he pointed to one of the parts, a rod attached to the stirrup that would connect to Toothless’s prosthetic. “I can control your fin with this. But I’ll never know if this works if you don’t let me put the saddle on you.”

Toothless hesitated, continuing to eye the saddle. He was right to be suspicious. Previous test flights around the cove had resulted in messy, crash landings and bruised egos. But Armin felt that this one could be different. 

It had to be.

“Please?” Armin asked once more and the dragon finally submitted. He allowed Armin to approach and attach the saddle onto him. “Thank you, Bud. You won’t regret this.”

Armin tightened the saddle before pulling himself onto Toothless’s back. “Alright, let’s go.”

The two took off.

\---

_ There was nothing more exhilarating than soaring high above the clouds, I soon gathered. I gripped on tightly to Toothless’s saddle, making sure I was still attached by my cable. “Perfect,” I said to myself and shifted in my seat. The saddle was uncomfortable, but that was a minor fix for another day. _

_ Right now, I had to focus on keeping Toothless and myself alive. _

“Alright, Bud, it’s go-time,” Armin said quietly and Toothless nodded, letting out a thrilled gurgling sound.

Armin pressed his foot down, switching the position of Toothless’s fin. The two drifted easily above the churning sea and stoic sea stacks below them. “So far so good!” Armin commented with a smile. “Let’s see if we can dive bomb.” He pressed his finger against a slip of paper he had attached to the saddle, filled with various notes about the different positions Toothless’s fin was able to perform.

“Position two,” Armin muttered to himself and then frowned. “No wait, it’s position three.” Toothless roared impatiently and Armin rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m still learning.”

Armin clicked his gear into third position and Toothless proceeded with the dive bomb towards the sea. Armin held on tightly, once more pulling his cable to make sure he was secure.

Before the two grazed the water’s surface, Armin switched back into position one and the two steadied, gliding underneath a stone archway. Armin looked up in wonder, seeing nests of Terrible Terrors quietly gathered at the highest points from within the rock formation, covering his eyes when they got back into the sunlight.

“Everything is good so far,” Armin informed Toothless. “Wanna try weaving through those sea stacks?” Toothless informed Armin through his chattering that he was unsure, but Armin ignored this. “Position two!” he called out and tried flying past the first sea stack, but was unsuccessful. Toothless slammed into it and then called out in pain before shooting his rider a nasty side-eye.

“I’m so sorry!” Armin apologized quickly. “Wrong position. We’re supposed to be in number five, I think.” Toothless grumbled and gently slapped Armin with his ear who only glared at him in return before changing the position of the tail fin.

_ I wanted to do something risky once more, see the limitations of this tail fin of mine. So I changed the gear and directed Toothless straight up into the sky. I could feel the wind flow through my hair, blow in my face as I saw Toothless stick out his tongue. I wasn’t the only one enjoying this, it seemed.  _

“Yeah! This is awesome!” Armin yelled, looking back to see the tail-fin holding steadily. “I did it! I made you fly Toothless! Nothing can stop me now! Because it’s just you, and me and-” The wind blew harder, dislodging off the piece of paper that contained the fin positions. “My cheat sheet!”

Armin reached out, trying to snatch the paper out of the sky as it started to flutter away. While doing so, he knocked Toothless’s fin into its resting position: completely folded back up. They started losing momentum and as Armin pushed himself higher to grab the paper, his cable unclipped from the saddle.

_ I grabbed the cheat sheet and breathed a sigh of relief that was soon cut short by the horrifying realization that I was no longer attached to Toothless and we were both spiraling down to the sea below. I had considered the possibility that I could fall to my death during this test flight, but after seeing everything work so well, I pushed the thought from my mind and had gotten a bit careless.  _

“Oh Gods,” Armin called out as the wind whistled past his ears. He locked his eyes on Toothless, who was desperately shrieking and trying to outstretch his wings to glide back to safety, but was having an incredibly hard time trying to get his tail to cooperate. 

“You gotta angle yourself towards me,” Armin shouted, reaching out to grab Toothless’s saddle, but his face soon met the brunt force of Toothless’s tail, knocking him further away from the dragon. Toothless bellowed in horror, watching as his rider drifted further away.

_ I felt a wave of blackness overcome me the second Toothless’s tail collided with me. I think I may have fallen unconscious for a moment. I’m still unsure. When I opened my eyes again, we were still falling, but Toothless had managed to pull himself closer to me. He roared towards me again, angling himself like I had asked. I placed the cheat sheet between my teeth and reached out to grab his saddle, succeeding this time. I pulled myself closer and secured my cable before jamming my foot into the stirrup and correcting his fin position.  _

Though Armin had regained control and Toothless was no longer spiraling, the two were still diving dangerously close towards a packed forest. Armin’s eyes widened and he urged Toothless to pull up to avoid colliding with the trees. The dragon spread his wings in an attempt to slow them down as they careened towards a menacing cluster of sea stacks. Armin looked around desperately, trying to find some way to dodge this obstacle, but with the short amount of time they had, he could only pray to the gods and hope for the best.

Armin removed the cheat sheet from his mouth to determine the next tail position, but the wind had kicked up again, making it damn near impossible to figure out his next course of action. Toothless roared out, alerting Armin that they were out of time and that they needed to prepare for impact. Taking a deep breath, Armin let go of the paper and leaned forward, holding on tightly to his saddle and switching to the first position. 

They weaved seamlessly through the first stack of columns.

_ Second position. _

Toothless increased his altitude to avoid larger rocks near the seafloor that were no longer covered by the vast ocean.

_ Third position. _

As they drew closer to a pair of sea stacks knit closely together, this was ultimately their riskiest move. As soon as Armin had clicked the fin into its position, Toothless wrapped his wings around his body and barrel rolled in between the columns.

_ Back to first. _

Toothless stuttered but managed to stabilize himself as the pair flew back out into the open air, gliding once more above the ocean and slowing to a less heart-racing pace. 

_ I was panting heavily and I probably wouldn’t want to fly again for the next few days, but we were alive. I couldn’t believe it. I pumped my fists in the air, whooping victoriously. Toothless glanced up at me, excitement in his eyes. He faced forward and launched out a purple blast of flames directly ahead. He seemed quite pleased with himself, sticking out his tongue and paddling anxiously towards the fire. _

“Oh come on,” Armin groaned as they were engulfed by the flames. It wasn’t enough to seriously burn him, but he was quite singed and had to pat out a few fires that had started nipping at his armor. Toothless chortled at his rider’s expense. “Oh yeah, laugh it up,” Armin responded. “But don’t forget that I just saved your life.”

The Night Fury responded with another chortle, followed by an understanding and appreciative warble.

“Yeah, I know,” Armin continued, gently patting the side of the dragon’s head. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Bud. Let’s get back to the cove. I think I’ve had enough flying for today.”

Surprisingly, Toothless didn’t protest.

\---

“Ladies and gentle-Vikings!” A young woman called out, standing above Berk’s arena, joined by another Viking. “We welcome you to the Dragon Games! I’m your host, Sage Halvorsen joined by the one, the only, Vidar!”

Sage gestured to the small male Viking beside her, who basked in the scattered cheers of Berk’s citizens. “We have an exciting day planned out for you all,” Vidar continued. “For the past few weeks, our very own Levi Ackerman has been training Berk’s finest into becoming full-fledged Viking warriors. Those who have passed the initial tests have joined us today in the arena. So please help me in giving these warriors a proper Berkian welcome. First up, we have the ever powerful Mikasa Ackerman.”

Mikasa walked into the arena, followed by excited cheers from those who had seen her remarkable talent on the battlefield. 

“After Mikasa,” Sage continued, “we’re joined by the always-loyal, Eren Jaeger.”

Eren followed Mikasa, waving towards the citizens and looking back at Armin with an amused smile, one which Armin gladly reciprocated.

“Next, he’s a proud Kirschtein and he’ll make sure you know it, please welcome Jean to the arena!”

As Jean walked past the other trainees, he sent Armin a rather cruel look, almost as if he were threatening the young warrior not to even think of taking first place.

_ No need to worry there,  _ Armin assured, mostly towards himself.

“He’s sweet, he’s caring, and he’s great with a sword, the perfect combination for a Viking gentleman,” Vidar shouted out, “our very own, Marco Bodt!”

“Good luck out there today, Armin,” Marco whispered as he walked past to receive his own cheers.

“And of course, it wouldn’t be a proper match without a Viking who’s dead-set on killing, not just a dragon, but possibly one of her teammates too!” Vidar continued. “Ms. Annie Leonhardt.”

_ Killing one of her teammates? There’s no way they could’ve known about that.... Unless… _

“Stay out of my way, Arlert,” Annie hissed as she walked by, sending shivers down the young heir’s spine. If he had any doubts about her still holding a grudge for what happened in the healing hut, they had been answered almost immediately by her cold words.

“And finally,” Sage called out, bringing the arena to a hush, “our final student. One we never thought would make it this far. Hell, I don’t even think half of Berk knew he was even training to be a vicious dragon killer, right Vidar?”

He shook his head. “Not even close. I didn’t know he was eligible for the Games until I read his name on the ballot today. But ladies and gentle-vikings, please give the warmest welcome, and possible farewell, to our future chief: Armin Arlert!”

The crowd murmured amongst themselves as Armin stepped into the arena, joining his fellow classmates in the center.

“We’d also like to thank Sasha and Connie,” Vidar continued, “who helped Levi clean the arena the most during their training, but unfortunately and once again, have failed the initial tests. Better luck next time, right guys?”

“Hey, we tried our best!” Sasha protested from the stands and Connie, standing beside her, nodded fiercely.

“Well, your best doesn’t seem to be good enough,” Sage shot back, “but really, who’s surprised by that?”

“Now that we’ve gotten our introductions out of the way,” Vidar cut in, “we’d like to introduce the challenges our trainees will be taking on today. And, as many of you know, the winner of these challenges will have the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the entire village tomorrow evening, once Chief Erwin returns from his latest quest to find the elusive Dragon’s Nest!”

“Only the best of the best get this honor,” Sage continued. “And the best of the best lie among these six trainees.”

“So,” Vidar shouted, “without further ado, I’d like to present our first challenge and one our lovely trainees might remember fondly as their first interaction with dragons in the arena: the mighty and powerful Gronckle!”

As Vidar finished his enthused announcement, Bertholdt and Reiner rushed to open the first of the pens lined along the arena walls. From within burst a jabbering Gronckle, who Armin noticed immediately, hadn’t been fed in a few days, causing her to grow increasingly agitated. 

“We don’t even get a countdown?” Jean yelled as Vidar shrugged.

“There are no countdowns in life, Jeanbo!”

“Only death!” Sage finished and the trainees scattered as the dragon buzzed around the arena, eliciting excited cheers from the spectators.

_ Death wasn’t exactly encouraging, but seeing my teammates were struggling was, as awful as that sounds. The weapons were sparse in the arena. Levi had told us that the best of the best, like my father, could squeeze a dragon with their bare hands and pop its head off if they were truly a Viking of honor. I ran towards the closest shield and immediately brought it up to defend myself as a ball of flames smashed directly into the shield knocking me back. _

“Ooh!” Sage cried out, “and our first Viking is down! The future chief of Berk, everyone! Give the poor sod a proper round of applause!”

“He’s still in the match though,” Vidar prompted. “It isn’t until he’s knocked outside of the red line painted around the arena when he’s out of the competition. Our future chief is still in the game!” 

_ Oh for Thor’s sake… _

Armin got back up and watched the Gronckle ram into Marco as he attempted to push back, to no avail. The freckled warrior was sliding across the arena, barely making it to the edge of the red line. He would have been out if Jean hadn’t thrown a rock at the Gronckle.

“Hey fatass!” Jean hollered, the Gronckle locking eyes with him. She growled menacingly and Jean snickered. “Come and get me you big, dumb, oaf!”

She parted from Marco and charged towards Jean, warbling fiercely. Jean rolled out of her way and she screeched to a halt, but not before knocking into the wall. The spectators erupted in cheers for the Kirschtein boy as he turned and faced them, bowing theatrically. While he was distracted, the Gronckle took this as her time to attack.

“Hey dumbass!” Annie shouted from across the ring. Jean turned around to face her, but instead, met the full force of the Gronckle as she knocked him across the ring and outside the red line. The cheers from the spectators morphed into laughter.

“Who would have guessed that Jean would be the first one out,” Sage asked Vidar who shrugged.

“You know, it’s usually the cocky ones that are defeated first.”

“Shut up,” Jean replied weakly before collapsing into unconsciousness. Reiner and Bertholdt rushed in to retrieve the fallen Viking.

“Hey! You get what you deserve jackass!”

“Vidar!” Sage scolded.

“S- sorry. Anyway, the fight isn’t over until that Gronckle is subdued,” Vidar reminded the trainees. “So if I were you, I’d get on that.”

Eren rushed forward first, shield out. He collided with the dragon, sending her spiraling across the arena. But subdued she was not. Enraged was more likely. She moved to advance, determined to attack Eren, but Mikasa joined his side quickly and tossed her shield, knocking it straight into the Gronckle’s nose, dazing her.

“Hey,” Eren protested, turning towards Mikasa, “that was my kill.”

“You were defenseless,” Mikasa argued. 

“I’m not a baby,” Eren continued. “I can fend for myself!”

“Guys,” Armin shouted, “look out!”

The two ceased their arguing and immediately, Mikasa pulled Eren down as the Gronckle launched another fireball in their direction.

“I’ve had enough of this,” Annie snarled and readied her shield. As she ran to pounce upon the Gronckle, Armin became next in line for her deadly attacks. She narrowed her eyes and zoomed towards him.

_ As the Gronckle approached, I lowered my stance and reached inside my vest hidden underneath my armor. I whipped out a handful of some plants that I had extracted on a flight with Toothless. We had crash landed in a field of the stuff and I realized immediately that whatever it was caused dragons to enter in a state of extreme relaxation. I swiped some before the competition today, knowing it might come in handy. And thank Thor I listened to my gut. Because the second I held out the Dragon Nip, the Gronckle screeched to a stop and dropped onto her belly. Her pupils dilated and she let out a content roar. I dropped the Dragon Nip in front of her and stepped away, looking up to see Annie meeting my eyes, mid-kill-stance. She dropped her shield and glared at me. _

“I’m sorry,” Armin mouthed and Annie shook her head. She probably would have clobbered him right there if the commentators had not been eager to announce Armin’s victory.

“All hail the future chief of Berk!” Sage cried, pumping her fist into the air. “Armin Arlert has won the first challenge, swiping the glory away from Annie Leonhardt!”

“She’s definitely going to stick his head in some yak dung later,” Vidar laughed.

_ Oh Thor, I hope not. _

“With Jean out, only five trainees remain,” Sage continued, “And Armin has already won some renown with our village elder. But will he be the one to win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of his very own father?”

“We’ll have to see,” Vidar affirmed. “As our lovely arena workers take the stunned Gronckle back into her pen, I’d like to introduce our second dragon. This beast is known for being twice as deadly as any other dragon. Ladies and gentle-Vikings, please put your hands and hooks together for the Hideous Zippleback!”

On cue, the pen was kicked open and the dragon stormed out, howling angrily into the sky. Like the Gronckle, this one had also been deprived of food.

“This one is mine,” Annie insisted, pushing Armin out of her way. She snatched a mace on her way and approached the dragon.

“Annie Leonhardt takes no hesitation in fighting this one,” Sage commented. “It’s almost as if she’s trying to prove something. Maybe impress our future chief over here?”

Annie stumbled at Sage’s words, causing her to fall in direct harm of the dragon once more. Before the Zippleback could punt her with both of their heads, Eren dove in, shoving Annie out of the way and receiving the blow. Though he remained within the painted lines, that wasn’t enough to prompt him to get back to his feet.

“Eren!” Mikasa screamed, throwing aside her shield and running to his side. Armin followed suit, eager to defend his friend’s safety.

“Ouch,” Vidar winced, “that one must have hurt. I don’t think he’s going to come back from that one, huh Sage?”

“Even the Zippleback looks a little dazed,” Sage responded, gesturing towards the dragon trying to regain his footing. 

“Odin’s Beard, that hurt,” Eren gasped out.

Bertholdt and Reiner joined their sides, lifting Eren up gently. He tried to fight them off to convince them that he was still good to compete, but it was clear from his lack of strength (and breath) that he was the furthest from okay that he had ever been. The two men began escorting Eren out of the arena.

“I’m coming,” Mikasa insisted. 

“But you’ll be disqualified,” Armin warned.

“I don’t care about this stupid contest anyway. Eren’s safety is my number one concern.” As Mikasa said this, she purposely stepped over the red line.

“Well would you look at that,” Vidar mused, “two eliminations in the span of a few minutes!”

“Aww, I think it’s sweet,” Sage sighed. “You’d eliminate yourself for me if you got hurt, right?”

Vidar smiled awkwardly. “Um… I’d make sure you’re still alive.”

“Really? No love for your roomie?”

“I think you’re forgetting what’s at stake here: the winner gets to kill a dragon in front of Chief Erwin! That’s the greatest honor a young Viking can have!”

“I guess that’s fair,” Sage sighed, “but still… Not even the slightest consideration of getting eliminated?”

Vidar rolled his eyes and the two commentators talked quietly among themselves.

“I’ll come with you,” Armin insisted as Mikasa stepped away with Eren. She shook her head frantically.

“No. Stay and win this for us,” she said, smiling gently in his direction.

_ But… I don’t want to win. _

“Oh!” Sage called out, “oh! Would you look at that!” Armin turned around to find Marco pressing his boot down on one of the unconscious heads of the Zippleback. He smiled widely, happily seizing his first defeat in front of the crowds. “Marco Bodt has succeeded in defeating our little Zippleback!” Sage hesitated for a moment. “Did anyone see how he did that or…”

“Doesn’t matter,” Vidar cut her off. “We are now down to three trainees: Marco Bodt, Annie Leonhardt, and Armin Arlert! While we wait for our little dragon friend to be removed from the ring, I’ll have my dear friend Sage announce the next challenge!”

“Thank you, Vidar!” Sage exclaimed. “Now, ladies and gentle-Vikings, this next dragon may seem unassuming and small, but he has received his name for a reason. These are the most pesky dragons you’ll find all across Berk. Please join me in welcoming the Terrible Terror!”

The dragon slid through a tiny, swinging door at the bottom of one of the marked pens. He hissed, immediately locking onto Marco.

“I got this one! Back off Arlert!” Annie snarled, pushing past Armin.

“I- I didn’t do anything though!” He said as he rubbed his shoulder. 

“Annie be nice to your  _ boyfriend~ _ ” Vidar teased before an axe came in swinging above his head.

“You are so lucky that I missed!” Annie yelled. “Because when I get my hands on you, I’ll-”

“Annie, watch out!” Marco screamed as he pushed her out of the way of the Terrible Terror, who was just about to pounce on Annie as she was speaking. The small dragon clung on to Marco’s nose and started scratching all over his face. 

“Ow ow ow ow! Get it off! Get it off!” Marco pleaded frantically, tripping clumsily in an attempt to remove the dragon from his nose, but to no avail. The small creature had a vicious hold and, without some coaxing, there was no removing it without taking Marco’s nose with it.

“Ooh! That must have hurt,” Sage said as she touched her own nose. “Is it weird that I can feel his pain from here?” She waited for her partner to answer but none came from the petrified Viking. “Really? It took you an axe to the head to stay quiet?”

“My life just flashed in front of my very eyes…” 

“That is what you get for teasing Annie Leonhardt.”

“But you teased her earlier!”

“So?!”

“You didn’t get an axe flying towards you!”

“Damn you, Arlert!” Annie screamed as Armin directed the small dragon away from Marco with the reflected light from his shield back towards its pen. 

“Oh wow. Looks like Armin managed to subdue another dragon,” Vidar said. “Um… Did anybody see what happened?”

“If you guys weren’t arguing like an old married couple, then you would’ve seen everything jackass!” Annie shouted viciously from the ground below.

“O- oi!” Vidar stood up from his chair with his face blushing bright red. “One, we’re not a couple! And two, you shouldn’t be speaking Leonhardt!”

“Sit your ass back down on that chair!” 

Vidar grumbled lowly under his breath as he sat back down on his chair. 

“Marco, are you okay?” Armin asked as he quickly helped Marco up. 

“Y- yeah…” Marco replied as he touched the bridge of his nose. “I’m fine.”

“Can you still go on?” 

“Like I’ll let a chewed up nose stop me from killing my first ever dragon!” he replied enthusiastically. 

“That’s the spirit, Marco!” Sage cheered. “Looks like we still have 3 strong Vikings in the ring!” 

“Soon, it’s going to be two!” Vidar jumped in. “Because our next challenge will be one of the hardest of them all! Well, not really knowing that the chosen Viking will go against the Monstrous Nightmare, but it’ll be a good fight! I can tell you that much!”

“Didn’t Armin and Annie fight this one before?” Sage asked. Vidar nodded excitedly. 

“That’s right! Two of our three competitors already went through this challenge on the day of the dragon attack!”

“No…” Armin mumbled to himself. “It can’t be…” 

“Do you know what they are saying?” Marco asked. 

“Tch… I knew this was going to haunt me eventually,” Annie said as she readied her shield. 

Marco raised an eyebrow as Armin replicated Annie’s stance. “Huh? What do you mean? What’s going on?!”

“Please welcome,” both commentators said as Reiner and Bertholdt opened another gate. “The Deadly Nadder!”

_ My body started to shake as the gate slowly opened. I didn’t know if I had enough strength to run as I heard the low, menacing growl of the dragon within.  _

“I am so screwed…” Armin mumbled as he quickly dodged the Deadly Nadder’s initial charge. “Annie, she’s all yours!” 

“Oh, now you want to hand it to me?” Annie screamed, charging forward. The Nadder stopped in her tracks, screeching and outstretching her wings, singling her gaze on Annie. She whipped her tail in front of her and the spines across her body lifted, like the quills of a frightened porcupine. She let out a hiss before throwing her spines across the arena.

Annie dodged easily and Armin hid behind his shield, but Marco wasn’t as lucky. He yelped out in pain and fell to the floor, grabbing his leg which was now the host to one of the Nadder’s spines. 

“Marco!” Armin called out, running in his direction. He couldn’t care less about the Nadder in that moment. As he joined his fallen friend’s side, Annie continued to stare down the Nadder, placing herself in the beast’s blindspot. 

“It looks like Marco Bodt may be out of the running,” Sage commented. “Nadder spines are known to shatter bones on impact. It’ll take a miracle for him to walk away from this fight.”

“How’s your leg?” Armin asked cautiously.

“It hurts,” Marco responded through clenched teeth.

“Let me help you,” Armin offered but Marco shook his head vigorously. 

“I’ll be fine. You gotta get back in there, Armin! You’re so close to winning.”

“Annie deserves to win more than I do,” Armin insisted, attempting to help Marco to his feet while Bertholdt and Reiner joined their sides to escort the wounded Viking away from the battle.

“You have a gift,” Marco reminded firmly, “use it, Armin.”

“Get back in there,” Reiner continued, “we’ve got him.” He gave Armin an encouraging smile before shoving him back towards the center of the ring. The sudden movement caused the Nadder to look up curiously from Annie. She hissed again, spreading out her wings and running towards Armin.

_ Oh Thor, here we go. _

_ I scrambled away from the Nadder and locked eyes with Annie as she charged forward with her mace, ready to put an end to the fight once and for all. There was a murderous rage in her eyes, especially when she saw how close I was getting to the dragon. I was torn. On one hand, I could step aside and let Annie have her kill, like she wanted. But on the other hand, I could take down the Nadder without her having to die. After befriending Toothless, I knew there was only one answer.  _

“Please don’t hate me for this,” Armin muttered under his breath. He turned to face the Nadder head on and stared her down. She stumbled, confused at his sudden confidence, and that’s when Armin struck.

He ducked underneath her and brought his hands up underneath her chin. He scratched around, finding the spot he was looking for. The Nadder let out a choked warble before collapsing at Armin’s feet, purring ever-so-softly.

Annie skid to a halt, just before bringing her mace down on the Nadder. She looked at Armin, disbelief flashing across her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry!” Armin called out before Annie’s eyes flashed with anger again. She turned and threw her mace across the arena, where it smacked against the wall and broke.

“Son of a half-troll, rat-eating, munge-bucket!” Annie kicked a fallen shield aside and faced Armin. “You’re dead, Arlert!”

“I can’t believe it!” Vidar cut her off quickly. “Armin ‘The Useless’ Arlert has done the impossible!”

“The fight could still go either way,” Sage reminded. “Even though Armin has three wins over Annie, Annie still showed incredible strength and valor in the arena! It’s all up to the elder!” Sage gestured to the cloaked village elder, quietly standing among the spectators, watching the two vikings below. Annie settled her violence, but still seethed with rage beside Armin.

“Who will it be?” Vidar asked excitedly.

_ The village elder hesitated and I could hear Annie grow more anxious. I gulped and hoped for the best, praying to every god and goddess that Annie would win. But that was not the case, as I had feared. I saw the elder’s finger fall upon me and the spectators erupted in glorious celebration. Reiner threw his fists in the air and smiled widely in my direction and the commentators went crazy. The only ones silent were myself and Annie. I could feel her gaze burn into my skin. I was so dead. So so dead.  _

_ I hope the gods are pleased with themselves. _

“All hail the future chief of Berk!” Sage shouted.

“All hail Armin!” the spectators responded, before resuming their celebrations.

Armin waved meekly, stepping away from Annie as best as he could, trying to make his way to the exit. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Annie demanded, approaching viciously.

_ I opened my mouth, trying to find the words to defend myself, but they just wouldn’t come. She got closer and I began to anticipate her fist against my face when another voice arose from stands. _

“The ships are back! Chief Erwin is home!”

Annie pulled back and Armin took this as his opportunity to leave. 

“Gotta help Dad,” he said softly before taking off in a frenzy towards the docks.

_ The faster I leave Berk, the better. _


	8. Chapter Seven

Erwin helped a wounded Viking off of the charred ship and onto the docks. He shook his head solemnly as another Viking carried them off to the healing hut. "Have Petra prepare her ward," Erwin called out. "We have more wounded for her to care for."

"Aye, Sir!" the Viking called out as he left.

Levi approached the docks, frowning as the other Vikings passed him. "Chief," he called and Erwin looked towards him.

"Levi," Erwin greeted.

"Do I dare ask about the search?" Levi questioned.

"It went poorly," another Viking responded as they supported another on their way to the healing hut.

"Gunther's right, unfortunately," Erwin confirmed, sighing heavily. "We got as far as Helheim's Gate before we were attacked by hordes of the bastards. We lost a ship and a lot of good warriors in that fight. Perhaps we should postpone the Dragon Training ceremony tomorrow and focus all of our efforts on funeral preparations."

Levi shrugged. "I suppose Armin wouldn't mind waiting an extra day to kill his dragon."

Erwin froze and gave Levi a curious look. "What did you say?"

"The village elder chose Armin, Sir," Levi repeated. "He's going to kill the Monstrous Nightmare tomorrow."

Erwin hesitated upon this news, before breaking out into a smile. "I can't believe he's done it."

"Neither can we, Sir," Levi continued. "But your boy... He's really something in battle. I don't know how he does it. He took down three dragons alone in the competition."

"Three dragons?" Erwin asked in disbelief. "My boy?"

"Dad!" Armin called as he ran towards the docks. Erwin quietly thanked Levi as the trainee instructor ran to help unload the remaining ship. Erwin approached his son firmly.

"Come," he demanded, motioning for Armin to follow him as they made their way back to their hut. "We've got some talking to do."

_I stopped suddenly and froze as my dad walked passed me. Oh Thor, does he know about Toothless? Did someone see me flying? I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but something in my gut told me it wasn't good. I had no choice but to follow him. I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering towards the cove though. I hope Toothless is okay._

\---

Armin placed a mug of ale in front of Erwin before sitting across from him at the table. Erwin quietly drank as Armin sat in silence, awkwardly shifting in his seat.

"So," Erwin began, after finishing his drink. "I heard you've got quite the reputation when it comes to dragons."

_Odin, here it comes._

"W-where did you hear that?" Armin stuttered.

"Levi," Erwin responded curtly. "You've been keeping secrets, haven't you."

_Yes._

"I have?" Armin began, fidgeting even more in his seat.

"Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it."

"I-I know, I just... I thought... Oh, Gods..."

Erwin maintained a firm expression before breaking out into a wide grin and chuckling that soon morphed into joyous laughter that Armin awkwardly joined in on.

"Y-you're not upset?" Armin asked when the laughter died and Erwin shot him a confused look.

"What! Of course not!" he exclaimed, "Armin, I've been hoping for this! Just wait until you go into that arena tomorrow and spill a dragon's guts for the first time!" Erwin laughed once more. "Oh, you really had me going there, Son! Fifteen years of the worst Viking on Berk! Odin, it was rough. I almost gave up on you! But all the while you were holding out on me! Oh, Thor Almighty!"

_"Worst Viking on Berk", huh. Well, that wasn't a comment I was hoping to hear from my father as he was praising me. I felt my face fall with disappointment. Part of me always hoped that the thoughts that constantly nagged me, reminding me that my father thought I was just as useless as everyone thought I was, were wrong. But here he was, admitting it. To my face._

"I'm so proud of you, Armin!" Erwin finished, standing from his seat and approaching Armin, placing his hands on his son's shoulders. "And I'm going to be even prouder when you mount that Monstrous Nightmare's head on a spear tomorrow in front of all the villagers."

"Yeah..." Armin responded, shaking his head. "Thanks... Dad."

"You should get some rest," Erwin insisted, "for your big day! I have to head back to the docks to continue unloading, but I'll be back later tonight. We can talk more about your victories in the ring in the morning! I'm proud to call you my son."

Erwin smiled genuinely towards Armin before ruffling his hair. "Oh! Before I forget!" Erwin rushed off to his bedroom, allowing Armin a moment of silence to plan for his escape, but it was cut short soon after. The chief held an iron helmet in his hands and a look of reverence in his face. He offered the apparel to Armin, who quietly took it. "This was your mother's," Erwin said, watching as Armin ran his fingers along the metal surface. "It was part of her breastplate."

Armin retracted his fingers and looked up at his father with a mildly disturbed expression. Erwin tapped the helmet on his head and smiled. "It's a matching set, you know. It... It keeps her close. Wear it proudly in the ring tomorrow."

"Th-thanks Dad. I'll... Be sure to do that."

Erwin nodded once more and opened his mouth to say one final word of parting, but couldn't quite capture the moment. His father wasn't so great at expressing emotion, and Armin understood that, but he wondered what he would have heard from him at that moment. After all, it would be the last words he was expecting to hear before he ultimately took off and left Berk behind.

"Get some rest," Erwin repeated. "We can talk in the morning."

"Okay," Armin said with a nod. He stood from his seat as he watched his father exit the room and he looked down at the helmet in his hands. He wondered what his mother would think if she were still alive to see him. Would she be just as proud? Just as disappointed?

He didn't have time to reminisce about nonexistent scenarios. He held the helmet close to his heart and then quietly exited his home, making his way stealthily to the cove.

\---

Toothless watched as Armin finished sealing a basket filled with provisions for the long flight that was ahead of them. He anxiously licked his lips and moved to sniff the basket before Armin swatted him away.

"Hey, you can't eat all of our fish now, Bud," Armin warned. "I don't want to starve before we get to where we're going?"

Toothless warbled, cocking his head.

"I still haven't figured that out yet," Armin admitted before sitting on the floor and spreading a map across the grass. The sun was starting to set, but he had just enough daylight to finish charting the rest of their flight. "There's an island here outside of the archipelago," he continued. "I've read about it before. They say that the only ones able to cross into its borders are dragons. You think they'll be accepting of a Viking teen riding a dragon?"

Toothless responded with a grumble, before snorting and running off into the bushes.

"Hey! I was asking you a question!" Armin stood up frantically watching Toothless weave in and out of the bushes, likely chasing a rodent of sorts. "Alright, fine. But I want you back here in five minutes!" He waited, as if expecting a response from a dragon. He shook his head and bent down to retrieve his map. "He never listens..."

As he pocketed the map, he lifted the basket of food to move towards the launch site, next to Toothless's saddle.

_SNAP!_

Armin froze and listened around him. It almost sounded as if whoever broke that twig was right behind him.

"Bud?" he asked softly and was met with the scratching sound of stone against metal. Armin gasped and turned, coming face-to-face with Annie Leonhardt, who was casually sharpening her axe and staring him down intensely. "How did you..."

"Shut it," Annie demanded fiercely. "I'm talking. Not you. Got it?" Armin quickly nodded. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I- I have no idea w- what you're-"

"I said shut it Arlert!" she screamed earning a small whimper from the male. She slowly started to approach Armin, axe in hand, ready to gut him to pieces. "What's your secret? Because no one gets that good with dragons, especially you! So tell me. I hope it doesn't have to do with this ridiculous outfit you're wearing."

_Annie got closer as she spoke, making me more scared for my life than ever! I gulped as she mentioned the breastplate I was wearing. I had managed to sneak some leather into the forge to make myself a different breastplate similar to Reiner's, except, it was for dragon-riding. Instead of being tied to the waist, I made sure my entire body was attached to Toothless to prevent the fiasco that happened earlier today, but I can't tell Annie that... _

Armin gulped, trying to think of an excuse to give to the Viking in front of him. A rustling from the bushes behind them caused Annie to change her focus, gripping her axe tighter. Armin cursed under his breath before he confronted her with a ridiculous excuse.

"A- Alright! You got me! I thought I would get away with it but you found me out!" He laughed nervously as he blocked Annie's view. "Truth is, I've been making outfits! That's why I've been running away every time training is done! So take me in, expose me for all I care! Cause that's my deep, deep secret!" He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest hopeful that she would buy into the lie and take him back to the village. Instead, he got his arm twisted and his legs swept from under him.

"Ow! Why did you do-" Before he was able to finish, Annie bounced the base of her axe on his chest.

"That's for lying." She said as she dropped it once more. "And that's for everything else."

_Yeah... I kind of deserved the last one... _

As she was walking away a tree branch snapped, igniting the Viking instinct within her. Armin, definitely aware of who made the noise, quickly got up and tried to block the view.

"O- okay! Let's go back to the village now!"

"There's something over there," Annie said, pushing him aside.

"What? There's nobody else here other than you and-" A low growl echoed through the cove, causing Annie to drop into a protective stance. And there she saw him, slowly crawling towards them both.

"Get down!" Annie yelled, tackling Armin to the ground as Toothless charged. She quickly readied her axe for a swing before it was snatched from her by Berk's heir. "Armin, what are you-"

"Woah! Calm down, buddy!" Armin said, holding his hand out towards the advancing beast. "Calm down! It's okay! She's my friend!" Toothless briefly looked at Armin in disbelief before returning his gaze to Annie, snarling angrily at her. "You scared him!"

"I scared _him_?" Annie shouted. She then paused and narrowed her eyes. "Who's _him_?"

_I took a deep breath and realized that my ruse was over. I could only hope that what Annie had seen was enough to convince her not to rat me out to the entire village and my father._

"Annie, Toothless," Armin said, gesturing to the dragon. "Toothless, Annie." Toothless lowered his stance and let out another cautionary growl, taking a step forward to put himself between Armin and Annie, ready to defend his rider to the death.

Annie watched this play out before shaking her head. She turned on her heel and ran.

"We're so dead," Armin sighed as Toothless snorted and trotted off in the opposite direction. "Um, excuse me? We're not done here!" Armin turned back to focus on Annie, who was desperately clawing her way to the top of the cove but kept sliding down. Without the ODM gear (or a dragon) it was impossible for one to easily get out of the cove.

_It was almost sad watching Annie struggle to leave. For a moment, I considered leaving her. I knew she'd probably find a way to escape and then tell the village of my secret, but by then I'd be long gone. On the other hand, I couldn't quite convince myself to pull through with the idea. I couldn't leave her. Even after she made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with me. I groaned and made my way to Toothless, picking up his saddle on my way._

Annie managed to climb up one of the cliff's edges and hold herself there while she calculated her next move. Time, however, was not on her side. She felt herself slipping again and she latched on tightly, knowing that if she fell now, she'd be seriously hurt. She grumbled under her breath, deciding on what she was going to say to the chief when she returned. Or _if _she returned. Leaving the cove was proving to be a near-impossible task.

Suddenly, she felt rough talons grab onto her arms and lift her into the sky. Annie let out a frightened scream, holding on desperately to the dragon that carried her out of the cove and across the forest. She looked up, meeting her captor's eyes.

"Arlert!" she screamed, "I'm going to kill you!"

Toothless let out a low growl and loosened his grip on the Viking, causing her to slip and cling tighter, fearing for her life.

"Toothless," Armin scolded and the dragon rolled his eyes, before strengthening his grip. They flew towards one of the tallest trees in the forest and Toothless dropped Annie onto a branch and then perched himself on the top of the tree, causing it to sag as Annie continued to hang on for dear life.

"Get me down from here!" Annie demanded.

"You have to let me explain," Armin pleaded.

"I am not listening to _anything _you have to say!" Annie shouted, shifting her way towards the center of the tree.

"Then I won't speak," Armin concluded, reaching out his hand. "Just let me show you."

Annie stopped, panting heavily and eyeing his outstretched hand. She looked away.

"Annie... Please?"

The desperation in his voice urged Annie to focus on him once more. She pulled herself, standing carefully on the tree branch before reaching towards Toothless, who snarled in her direction. She retracted and Armin quietly scolded the Night Fury before offering his hand once more. Annie swatted his hand away and pulled herself up on Toothless's back, trying not to focus on the earth hundreds of feet below her.

"Okay," she said, her voice shaking, "now get me down."

"Toothless," Armin coaxed, "down. Gently."

Toothless growled, shaking his head before stretching out his wings as the wind picked up underneath him.

"See," Armin said with a growing smile, looking over his shoulder to see Annie's terrified expression. "There's nothing to fe-"

He was cut off by Toothless launching towards the sky and Annie's continued screams of terror. He kept flying higher and higher up into the sky so fast and at a steep angle that Annie was having trouble staying on the saddle.

"Toothless! What is wrong with you?!" Armin yelled in between Annie's screams. "Bad dragon!"

Annie managed to grab onto Armin, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. He laughed nervously. "I- I'm sorry. He's usually better behaved than this."

"What do you mean by that?!"

_Well for starters, he doesn't fly on his own accord. Usually I tell him where to fly, but apparently Toothless wanted to knock some sense into you for being mean to me, so he's acting like a restless child._

"Well, he usually-" Toothless unexpectedly started leaning his body the left. "Oh boy... Annie, hold on!"

"What?!" Toothless dove headfirst, as Annie continued to audibly panic, which was soon silenced by Toothless diving into the water. He continued to weave in and out of the sea, soaking the duo from head to toe.

"Toothless what are you doing? We need her to like us!" Armin shouted above the howling of the wind, finally catching his breath. Once again, Toothless didn't listen and launched upwards into the sky. Once he leveled out, he started to spin. Annie tightened her grip, burying her face into Armin's back to muffle her screams. "Thank you for nothing you stupid reptile!"

"Okay! I'm sorry!" Annie cried out. "I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing!"

Toothless seemed to perk at this apology. Immediately, he spread his wings, catching the air beneath him to slow him down considerably as they began gliding above the water, towards the setting sun.

Annie's desperate grip around Armin's waist relaxed. As she unburied her face from his shoulder, she blinked and looked around her.

_The world around us was on fire. With glorious reds and pinks streaking across the sky, painting the fluffy clouds that we flew up against. It was a sight I had seen many times, but for some reason, with Annie, it was even more breathtaking. As she relaxed, I felt her gasp in awe and I couldn't help but smile and look down at Toothless, who sent me an expression of contentment. I looked behind to ask Annie how she was feeling, but quickly realized I didn't need to. For the first time since I had known her, I saw true peace and happiness in her eyes and a genuine smile spread across her lips. She lifted her hands, gently grazing the clouds above us. And as Toothless began to make loops in the air, she wrapped her arms around my waist once more and looked around eagerly._

Armin didn't know how long they were up in the clouds. It could have been hours, for all he knew. The fire in the sky melted into calm, deep blues and purples. The northern lights flickered to life above them and weaved seamlessly through the air.

"They're gorgeous," Annie whispered. She rested her chin on Armin's shoulder, causing the future chief to blush and laugh nervously.

"They're really something," he commented.

Toothless led them back to Berk, which looked even more charming in the dark, with its glowing torches lining the homes and pathways. On a night like tonight, where the dragons and Vikings were calmly sleeping, Armin couldn't imagine a more perfect way to spend his first flight with Annie Leonhardt.

"Can... Can we go around the island one more time?" Annie asked softly and Armin grinned, before nodding.

"You heard the lady," he said, patting the side of Toothless's head. He roared pleasantly and flew over Berk once more.

They were about half an hour away from Berk's shores when either of them decided to speak again.

"I have to admit," Annie said, "this is pretty cool." She then smiled towards Toothless and rested her hand against the beast's face. "He's pretty cool."

Toothless purred gently, leaning into Annie's touch.

"I'm lucky to have met him," Armin responded fondly. "He's my best friend."

"Don't tell Reiner that," Annie retorted. "Speaking of... How are you going to deal with your final exam tomorrow? I can't imagine you're too eager to..." Annie hesitated and lowered her voice, "kill a dragon."

"Don't remind me," Armin pleaded softly. "It's a mess, Annie. I don't know what I'm going to do." Armin clutched Toothless's saddle tightly and shook his head. "They're all expecting me to live up to my father's reputation but there's no way I can do that now. Not after finding Toothless."

"You're going to have to think of something," Annie said firmly.

"I know." Toothless called out solemnly for his rider and Armin sighed, patting the side of the dragon's head once more. "It's okay, Bud." A smile crept on Annie's lips while she watched this tender interaction. "We should probably head back to Berk now, yeah?"

_I tried urging Toothless to change course, but suddenly, he was out of my control. His ears twitched frantically and his gaze darted around the open-air around us. Annie took notice of this too and her grip around me tightened, out of fear._

"Is he okay?" she asked cautiously.

"Toothless," Armin asked as calmly as he could muster. "Hey, Bud, what's-" He was cut off by Toothless diving suddenly and immersing the trio in the rising sea mist below them. He warbled nervously, continuing to look around, as if trying to find something in the mist.

"What's going on?" Annie demanded sharply and Armin shook his head.

"I don't know. He's never done this before."

There was a faint chattering in the air around them, causing the pair of Vikings to grow more uneasy as Toothless continued to fly on his own path. Suddenly, from the mist, dragon shadows started materializing.

"Get down," Armin insisted and the two lowered themselves, Armin hugging Toothless's back and Annie holding desperately onto Armin. Beside them, a Monstrous Nightmare picked up speed and flew past, carrying a limp animal corpse in his razor talons. A Hideous Zippleback followed in suit, also carrying a fresh kill, but this time, it seemed to notice the two Vikings. It let out a deep rumble, each head locking onto the humans, but Toothless weaved in between other dragons to create distance and to protect his riders.

In the distance, a large mountain began to take form. Armin could see all of the swarming dragons landing at its base and sneaking through the craters that peppered the exterior.

"Toothless, we gotta get out of here," Armin said softly, but the Night Fury ignored him. Instead, he dove into one of the craters and methodically made his way through to the center of the mountain: a large, open area consumed in heat and anxious dragons. Toothless landed on a stretch of rock near an exit and he crept behind a pillar of stone, quietly peaking out to the massive pit before them, where smoke curled into thick clouds.

Armin and Annie followed Toothless's gaze to the pit and saw the line of dragons enter, each dropping their kill and retreating fearfully to the edges as Toothless had done.

"It's nice to know the food they steal from us is going straight into a hole," Annie grumbled and Armin nodded, still too frightened and confused to speak.

As the last of the dragons filed in and dropped their offerings, the final dragon to enter was a tired Gronckle. It buzzed lazily to the center of the pit and coughed up a single trout. For a moment, it went silent. The chattering of the dragons fell and all eyes fell upon the Gronckle as it scratched behind its ear and started making its way to join the other dragons.

_It would never make it. From the pit emerged a dragon, unlike anything we had ever seen on Berk. It opened its colossal jaws and snatched the poor Gronckle from the air before falling back into the darkness. Annie and I gasped in terror, knowing immediately that we were in trouble. The monster resurfaced once more and I knew that we had to act, or else we'd fall to the same fate as the Gronckle did._

"Toothless, go!" Armin called out and Toothless didn't hesitate. He leapt from his platform and weaved out of the colossal dragon's path as it dove towards them. The other dragons buzzed into a frenzy, retreating to the safety of the outside world. Toothless dodged the mass panic easily and the second they hit open air, they heard the dragon within let out a horrifying, earth-shaking call. Armin looked behind to see if the beast was chasing after them, but the mountain remained intact.

"What in Thor's name was that?" Annie yelled.

"I have no idea," Armin called back. "But we need to get back to Berk. Now."

The flight back to the cove felt longer than it actually was. Each Viking took turns looking back to see if they had been followed, and each time, they confirmed that they hadn't. But that didn't succeed in calming their fears.

Toothless landed near the pond in the cove and the teens hopped off. Annie began pacing wildly and Armin proceeded in removing Toothless's saddle.

"It totally makes sense," Annie called out, continuing her pacing. "It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers and that... _thing _must be their queen!" She stopped and faced Armin. "We have to tell your father."

"Tell him what?" Armin asked, removing the saddle and dropping it to the ground. "'Hey dad! Guess what! Annie and I found the dragon's nest! Ooh! Wanna know how we got there? We flew on a dragon that I've been befriending for the past month!'" He shook his head. "Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks that sounds completely _insane_?"

"The dragons are being controlled by that thing," Annie persisted. "If your dad knows about the island, maybe he could take out that dragon and we wouldn't have to fight them anymore!"

"Annie, if we tell my father about Toothless, what's to stop him from killing him in front of the entire village? He's not going to believe us! And even if we did, we can't send my father and all of our warriors to their death to kill that dragon! You saw how massive that thing was!" He shook his head again and breathed out heavily. "We can't tell my dad about this. We can't tell _anyone _about this."

Annie felt herself grow more and more frustrated. She balled up her hands into fists and scoffed loudly. "You're kidding, right? We just discovered the dragon's nest! The thing our ancestors have been searching for for hundreds of years. And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?"

Armin nodded firmly. "Yes."

Annie paused, not quite expecting the answer she had gotten. Though she was still visibly confused and frustrated, she allowed herself to relax. "Okay... Okay." She nodded slowly and sighed. "What are we going to do, Armin?"

_I thought about this, trying to connect all possible plans in my brain, but it just wasn't coming to me. We had just discovered something massive that could change the course of Viking history for years to come. And we, a rejected Viking heir and a warrior with anger issues, were at the forefront of this change. It was a lot of pressure to put on a couple of teenagers already collapsing with the pressure put onto them by their society. I felt hopeless, but I couldn't let Annie see that. Not after everything we had just experienced together._

"Just... Give me until tomorrow," Armin asked. "I'll figure something out."

Annie nodded. "Okay." They fell silent for a moment before Annie drove her fist into Armin's bicep, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?" Armin demanded.

"That's for kidnapping me," Annie responded.

"O- okay. I guess I did deserve that one." He said, chuckling softly as he rubbed his now bruised arm. "And I guess I owe you an apology for the whole 'hanging you on a tree thing' too."

"Oh definitely, Arlert."

"Well then, if that's the case, then I'm sorry for Toothless's reckless behavior." Toothless geared his gaze upwards to his rider and growled as Armin stuck out his tongue in return. Seeing this childish behavior from them both made Annie smile and laugh lightly.

"I don't think Toothless is the problem here." She said. "He was perfectly fine. You, however..."

"What? Me? How am I the problem?"

"Well, you are his rider, right? The one who controls him, right?"

_Well, she got me there..._

"Shouldn't you be getting back to the village?" Armin asked.

"I can ask you the same thing,"

"I have to put Toothless to sleep. That and feed him. We both skipped lunch."

"Oh."

Armin and Annie looked at each other, embraced in awkward silence.

"I- I'm going to go now," Annie finally said, as she turned around and headed towards the cliff.

"O- Okay," Armin said, turning his attention to Toothless. "Safe travels."

_I couldn't help but feel bad for not giving her a decent goodbye. I don't know why but I always lose my words around her, especially now that she knows my secret. That doesn't worry me, though. Annie can be trusted. I wouldn't trust anyone else with this. _

Toothless grumbled lowly as he quietly ate his fish, looking at Armin.

"Is something wrong, Toothless?" Armin asked as he emptied out the basket of fish. Toothless gently started pushing Armin towards the cliff. "H- hey. What are you doing now, bud? You want me to leave?"

Toothless growled and pushed him harder.

"H- hey! If you want me to leave then you could've told me nicely!" Toothless warbled cheerfully. "Geez... And I thought we were cool."

_I turned around to grab my stuff to see Annie still struggling to get up the cliff. I looked back at Toothless to see him giving me a knowing look._

"Bastard," Armin growled, earning another amused warble from the Night Fury.

"A- Almost... There...!" Annie stuttered as she reached up to grab onto the ledge before her foot slipped. She started to fall down the cliff, reaching out desperately for something to slow her fall. As she panicked, she felt a pair of arms around her, catching her from the fall.

"You okay?" Armin asked as he leaned his foot against the cove wall. "You have to be more careful when you climb."

She quickly looked away, trying to hide her blushing face. "W- well easy for you to say! You have this contraption of yours to help you climb!"

"Well, why wouldn't I? I am the weakest Viking of them all right? I deserve an advantage."

"J- just get me out of here, Arlert." She grumbled. Armin obliged to her demand and slowly reeled himself upwards, carefully trying not to drop Annie with the weak strength that he possessed. Once on top, he placed her down gently by the edge.

"Is that better?"

"Very."

"I'm glad I could help you with something."

"Well, you can direct me to where the village is," she said firmly. "It's pitch black out here. I can hardly see a thing!"

"Oh yeah. It took me a while too." Armin replied as he climbed over the edge. "It's right over there-" Armin took a step forward and tripped on a rock, knocking both him and Annie to the ground. Like before, he had her pinned down. "I- I am so sorry!"

"I- it's fine!" Annie responded quickly. "I was in the way and-"

"N- no! I should've watched where I stepped!" He jumped to his feet and extended his hand. "Here, let me help you up!"

It took her a couple of seconds to grab ahold of his hand, almost as if she were afraid of some trick he might have concocted. "T- thanks," she quietly mumbled, pulling herself up.

"No problem." They quietly stared at each other for a couple of seconds before he started to lean in closer. As if she read his mind, she started to lean in too, both definitely aware of what they were doing. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck, placing his lips on hers. They kissed each other gently, not caring if anyone else was watching. In their eyes, it was just him and her.

Toothless warbled proudly, seeing that he did a good job as he headed to his nest that his rider had constructed for him. As he lowered himself, the couple above separated, looking at each other tenderly before reality hit them like a rock.

"I- I should p- probably head back!" Annie said as she pushed Armin away. She turned away, hiding her burning face.

"Y- Yeah! I- I was going t- to suggest the s- same idea!" Armin replied, turning to hide his equally red face.

"I- I should go first!"

"N- no! You'll get lost! I'll go and clear a path first!"

"I- if you insist."

"Just hold on a minute," Armin said as he quickly slid down the side of the cove and retrieved his belongings before reeling himself back up. He took out the knife that he stole from the forge and started cutting his way through the forest. Once the village was in their sights, he quickly removed his gear and hid it under a tree stump so that nobody would find it.

"Will you be able to get home from here?" he asked, nervously avoiding her gaze.

"I think I can manage from here," Annie answered, cleaning off the dust that had accumulated on her armor. "T- thanks for showing me around..."

"I didn't really have much of a choice..." He chuckled. "I can't control a dragon when he goes rogue."

She giggled. "Well, you do have a point there." She leaned in once more and placed a small peck on his cheek before walking away. "Good night, Armin." She waved.

"N- night...!" Was all he could say as he gently touched the area where she had kissed him. He then thought of the kiss they had at the cove and all he could do was give off a goofy smile.

_So... this is how it feels to have a girl kiss you... I kissed Annie Leonhardt and I didn't get beaten up. Does that mean she likes me? Oh, my Gods! I think Annie Leonhardt likes me! Does that mean I have to take her out on a date? Annie doesn't look like the type of girl who likes traditional courtship rituals. Maybe Toothless can help me? Ah, who am I kidding? Asking a dragon for dating advice!_

_Oh, Gods. First the dragon. Now, this? The Gods really hate me, don't they?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to apologize for the late upload! Between Eli and I, I primarily take care of editing and uploading the chapters. (They do help when necessary, although they have been hard at work on establishing this series through an assortment of other fun projects we hope to make public soon!) That being said, around the time this was supposed to be updated last, I was in the middle of midterms and starting a brand new class, which has been the bane of my existence for the past few weeks. Between work, school, and homework, I've barely had enough time to breathe, let alone write. However, I finally caught a break this week and I have edited and pre-uploaded the remaining chapters, so hopefully, this won't happen again! Thank you for understanding!
> 
> Enough of the excuses, though. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And please, leave some comments! Kudos are nice and we appreciate them, but having comments helps tremendously with motivation. And we could definitely use some motivation right now! ^^
> 
> Thank you for reading and we'll see you in a couple of weeks!
> 
> -Shelby, aka Katlanac


	9. Chapter Eight

Viking spectators clattered into the arena, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. Armin stood near the arena entrance, straightening his armor and the helmet his father had gifted him, attempting to calm his breathing. Reiner joined his side and gripped his shoulder with a smile.

"How're you feeling?" he queried and Armin managed a weary laugh. He hadn't slept much the night prior. It was kind of hard, with Annie's kiss still lingering on his lips and cheek. There was also the looming thought of facing an angry dragon in front of the entire village and trying _not _to kill it. So much was happening. Too much.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Armin responded. Reiner chuckled and nodded affirmatively.

"I felt the same way when I killed my first dragon," he assured. "You'll get over it soon, though. Once you hear the crowds chanting your name, lopping that dragon's head off will never be easier."

"Heh... Yeah..." Armin said, fidgeting anxiously.

"Arlert," a voice called and the two boys turned around. Annie stood in the sunlight, looking quite stoic. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She eyed Reiner. "Alone?"

"Enough said," Reiner said, holding up his hands. "Good luck out there, Armin. Don't die on me, though. I still need your scrawny ass in my forge." He patted Armin's back one final time and left to join the rest of the Vikings in the stands as Annie stepped closer.

"Annie," Armin breathed out, feeling his anxieties calm in her presence.

_It felt great not to have to lie in front of her anymore. _

"You look awful," she commented bluntly. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Not one wink," Armin responded nervously, adding weak laughter to the end of his sentence that soon faltered off awkwardly. Annie frowned and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, look at me," she said and Armin obliged.

_Gods, her eyes are beautiful..._

"You're going to be okay," she continued firmly. "You have the entirety of Berk cheering you on right now."

"Well, I doubt they're going to be cheering in a few moments," Armin supplied. "But... Thanks Annie. You being here is enough."

"I'm a part of this now," Annie said. "Whether you like it or not."

She smiled at him just as Erwin's voice echoed across the arena. The two faced their chief and Armin held his breath. Annie looked over, noticing his expression shift back into worry, and she reached for his hand.

"Welcome," Erwin shouted and the Vikings cheered joyously. He laughed and waved them down to silent them. "Welcome! It's good to be able to show my face in public again!" The crowd laughed along with Erwin. "If someone had told me that in a few short weeks, Armin would go from... Well, being Armin, to placing first in Dragon Training, I would have tied him to a mast and shipped him off, for fear he'd gone mad!" The Vikings whooped and cheered once more and Erwin stood proudly before them, beaming.

_This is probably the happiest I've ever seen Dad. Ever since I've known him, he always looked disappointed. But today, among the cheers of his people, talking about the son he idealized and not the son that actually stood before him, it was as if he had finally gotten what he had wanted since I was born. Not the runt of a litter. Not a useless Viking. But a proud and true warrior who was more than capable of becoming chief when his time was over. He had gotten the son he always wanted and I was about to take that away from him._

"But here we are," Erwin continued, hushing the crowds once more. "And no one is more surprised or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking! Today, my boy becomes one of us!" Cheers erupted once more as a pit of fear sunk deeper in Armin's stomach.

"Be careful with that dragon," Annie warned softly and she released his hand.

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about," Armin admitted. "Annie, I..."

"No," Annie cut him off. "Don't doubt yourself. If anyone can change their minds, Armin, it's you. After all, you changed mine."

"Son!" Erwin called, catching Armin's attention. He locked eyes with his father and received a firm nod. "It's time."

Armin took in a deep breath and released it steadily. He gave Annie one final look and she nodded. "Promise me that if something goes wrong, you'll keep Toothless safe from them."

"I promise," Annie responded. "But you need to promise me that something won't go wrong."

Armin opened his mouth to deliver his promise but was cut off by his father.

"Son..."

"Right," Armin sighed. He gave Annie one final smile and turned to march into the arena. The gates slammed shut behind him, sealing him and his fate.

_I could hardly hear myself over the celebration of the Vikings and my father. He sat in his throne, watching me carefully. A mixture of pride and worry in his eyes. I offered him a weak smile and made my way towards the weapons rack. I picked up a shield and scanned the various deadly weapons I could select from to battle the dragon. I took the smallest: a crudely made dagger. As I faced my father again, he looked a little confused and whispered something to the Viking next to him, before asking that the gates be open to release the dragon into the arena. I puffed out my chest and got into a defensive stance, preparing for the end._

The seal on the gates cranked open slowly before a rush of wind and heat overcame Armin as a Monstrous Nightmare charged out into the open. He roared spectacularly, his entire body coated in sheets of boiling flames. Though he was on the other end of the arena from Armin, he could still feel the intense heat radiating from the dragon's body. He stepped back, bringing his shield up to protect the majority of his body.

The Monstrous Nightmare flew around the arena, latching onto the chain-link dome that kept him locked within. He hissed and shot out fire to the spectators and they scrambled, but congregated back together and resumed their excited cheering. As the dragon lowered himself back into the arena, locking eyes with Armin, the fire on his body began to dissipate. He growled lowly, eyeing Berk's heir and approaching him carefully. The cheering seemed to quiet as the Vikings held their breath.

"Hey," Armin greeted slowly. "It's okay." He dropped the dagger and shield held out his hands to attempt to calm the dragon, but it still seemed agitated, glancing between the terrified eyes of the boy and to the helmet on his head. Armin noticed this and grabbed his helmet. The Monstrous Nightmare hissed and the air around them started to get heated once more.

"What is he doing?" Erwin questioned loud enough for Armin to hear.

_I looked back up at my father one last time. I wanted to bask in his approval before I got myself disowned. I'm sorry, Dad, but it has to be done._

"I'm not one of them," Armin declared loudly and threw his helmet to the side. The dragon cocked its head curiously and Erwin stood, frowning.

"Stop the fight," he commanded, but this fell on deaf ears as Berk watched their heir do the unthinkable.

Armin approached the Monstrous Nightmare, his hand out. "No! I need you all to see this. They're not the monsters we make them out to be." The dragon inched closer, preparing to allow Armin to tame him in front of his island.

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" Erwin shouted, bringing his hammer down against the metal bars that kept the spectators from the arena. Frightened by the sudden sound, the Monstrous Nightmare roared and lurched forward, attempting to take Armin's hand clean off. Armin fell backward and pushed himself away from the dragon.

"No!" he called out as the dragon returned to its hostile nature. Armin scrambled back to his feet and dodged the wall of fire the Monstrous Nightmare spat out.

"Armin!" Annie screamed. She looked around desperately and pried an axe off the wall, using it to open the gate so she could slide underneath to run to Armin's rescue.

\---

From across Berk, Toothless perked up in his nest. He could have sworn he heard something. A cry for help maybe? He focused on the silence around him and his eyes widened in terror. He could hear the citizens of Berk exclaiming and Armin's frightened shouting.

He jumped from his resting spot and eyed the walls of the cove. It had been impossible for him to escape in the past, but he couldn't let that hold him back. Armin had done the impossible for Toothless. He had to do the same.

Toothless charged, taking a running leap and using his wings to propel him up to one of the jagged cliff faces. He latched on, digging his claws into the stone. He pulled himself up and launched himself again, this time, grabbing a hold of the edge of the cliff. He flapped his wings desperately, trying to bring himself up as he felt his hold on the edge begin to slip.

\---

_I picked up my shield and brought it in front of me as the Monstrous Nightmare unleashed another torrent of flames in my direction. It knocked me back, throwing my body into the wall. My vision went blurry as the pain coursed through my body. I tried to focus on the dragon, but it was hard when I couldn't tell exactly where it was._

"ARMIN!" Annie screamed and Armin looked in her direction. "GET OFF OF YOUR ASS!"

\---

Toothless pulled himself up and began charging towards Berk. He roared out desperately, hoping that Armin would hear him and know that he was going to be okay. He jumped on rocks and fallen trees, launching himself and trying to gain speed in any way he could.

\---

_When my vision had cleared enough to where I could gauge my surroundings, I jumped back up to my feet. I watched as Annie picked up a hammer and threw it at the dragon, taking his attention away from me. It bought me enough time to recover and figure out how I was going to get Annie out of harm's way. _

"Armin! Annie!"

Chief Erwin threw open the arena gates and motioned for the teens to join him. "This way!" he demanded. Annie, being closer, was able to slip out of the dragon's path and into Erwin's arms as he pulled her away from the fight.

Armin tried following in suit, reaching out to grab his father's outstretched hand, but was once more stopped by a wall of fire slamming into the wall next to the exit. Armin gasped and switched his direction, but was quickly tackled by the Monstrous Nightmare, who pinned Armin to the ground with his sharp talons. The dragon hissed, drawing dangerously close to Armin's face, opening his mouth to reveal rows of sharpened teeth, perfect for ripping off the faces of young, reckless, Viking teens.

Armin braced himself for the attack, turning his face away from the dragon as he heard his father screaming out for him.

A sharp, familiar whistle tore through the air, followed by someone shouting, "Night Fury! Get down!"

Armin snapped his gaze past the dragon pinning him and saw the side of the arena explode in a ball of purple fire. From the flames leapt Toothless, bearing his teeth with a protective rage in his eyes. He tackled the Monstrous Nightmare, releasing Armin from its grasp and allowing him to roll out of the way as smoke filled the arena.

The two dragons battled it out, each screeching and blowing fire towards one another as Armin watched their silhouettes roll across the arena. When the smoke had cleared, Toothless kicked the Monstrous Nightmare off of him and jumped back to his feet, putting himself in front of Armin and lowering himself to the ground, letting out a vicious snarl.

The Vikings chattered nervously, as many of them had never seen a Night Fury up close, but no one dared to enter the arena until the Monstrous Nightmare had been subdued.

Toothless shot another fireball towards the offending dragon and it roared before scattering away, retreating back to its pen. Toothless looked back at Armin, warbling proudly before Armin scrambled back to his feet and started pushing against the dragon.

"You have to get out of here," Armin pleaded desperately. "Please Toothless!" Once the threat of the Monstrous Nightmare had been cleared, the older Vikings began jumping into the arena, determined to detain the Night Fury and save their heir. Armin looked around and saw his father charging with the crowds, raising an axe. "Dad! No!"

Toothless noticed Armin's gaze and growled towards Erwin before charging towards the chief. "Toothless!" Armin shouted reaching out towards his dragon. "Stop!" Toothless didn't listen, however. In his eyes, these Vikings were Armin's enemies, and his enemies needed to be taken out. The Night Fury rammed his head against charging Vikings and bucked off those who had managed to climb atop of him. Then, he pounced and latched onto Erwin, pinning him to the ground. He got close, growling as the back of his throat began to glow.

Erwin would have been fried, had it not been for his son.

"No! No!" Armin screamed.

The rage that had consumed the dragon seemed to subside as he heard the fear and anger in his rider's voice. He swallowed the fire that welled within him and then released his pressure on Erwin, looking back towards Armin apologetically, and was surprised to see his rider giving him the same look.

Erwin punched Toothless, knocking the dragon off of him and the other Vikings charged forward once more, this time, succeeding in forcing the Night Fury to the ground.

_I ran forward to protect my friend, but felt Annie grab onto me and pull me back. I struggled against her, pleading with her to let me go and shouting to the others not to hurt Toothless. But as they had done my whole life, they ignored me. I collapsed in Annie's arms, watching helplessly as they tied Toothless up. My father got back to his feet and glared towards me. Pain and embarrassment: that's all I was to him at that moment. And as I felt my emotions slip from me, Annie kept her hold. She was the only thing keeping me grounded._

"No," Armin pleaded softly.

Erwin looked down at Toothless, who let out a final roar of protest. "Put him with the others," he demanded.

"Aye, Sir!" the Vikings agreed and Erwin began to approach Armin. He looked up fearfully towards his father and Annie released her hold, stepping away from the two. Even she was scared of the chief when he was furious.

"You're coming with me," Erwin said, glowering towards his son. "Now." He grabbed Armin's arm and yanked him up, before marching him out of the arena. Those who hadn't helped in securing the Night Fury watched mournfully from the stands. Before he left, Armin saw the somber gazes of his former classmates. Unlike the disappointed scowls he received from the adults, theirs were filled more with sympathy. Even Jean, who had given Armin nothing but hell, looked concerned.

\---

Erwin pushed Armin forward, sending his son stumbling into the darkened Great Hall. "Dad, please," Armin began, "I can explain."

"I should have known," Erwin muttered. "I should have known!" He paced angrily in front of his son, before driving his fist into a wooden supporting beam.

"I should have told you before now," Armin continued. "It's all a mess."

"You dishonored your people in the ring," Erwin shouted. "You took everything we stand for and tossed it aside like it was nothing!"

"I did it to protect them!"

"_Them_? You mean those monsters that killed your mother and have continuously attacked our village?"

"I meant all of us! Both humans and dragons!"

"Unbelievable." Erwin ran his fingers through his hair. "Unbelievable! Do you understand how many lives you put in harm's way with your actions today? You could have killed everyone in that arena! You could have killed the Leonhardt's daughter!"

"She knew the risks," Armin continued, before realizing that bringing Annie's involvement into this probably wasn't the brightest idea.

"Is she in on this too?" Erwin asked in disbelief.

"No... I mean, yes, but she didn't know until last night."

"_Last night?_ How long have you been going behind our backs?"

_Oh Gods, I can't believe this is happening. Oh Gods..._

"About a month," Armin admitted, "but..."

"Odin, what did I do to deserve this," Erwin exclaimed.

"Dad, please, listen to me! Everything we know about the dragons is wrong! They raid us because if they don't bring back enough food, they'll be eaten themselves! There's something on their island..."

Erwin perked up at the mention of this and ceased his pacing, locking onto his son. "Their island? You've been to their nest? How did you find it?"

"What?" Armin asked, "I... Toothless brought us there. Only a dragon knows how to get to the island."

Of course, this was the one time Armin had his father's full attention. He saw the realization flash in his father's eyes. "No, no, no, no," Armin began, his voice rising in panic. "Dad, wait. You don't know what you're up against!" Erwin pushed past his son and Armin turned towards him. "It's like nothing we've ever seen before. You can't win this fight, Dad! Please!" Armin rushed forward, grabbing his father's arm to pull him back, but Erwin elbowed him, knocking him to the ground.

"Enough!" Erwin shouted, facing Armin once more, rage seething in his eyes. "I've heard enough. You've already chosen your side in this, Armin. You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking."

"Dad..." Armin pleaded one last time, reaching out towards his father, but instead, he received a cold glare.

"You're not my son," Erwin spat out. He turned on his heel and marched out of the Great Hall, slamming the door shut behind him and leaving Armin alone in the darkness.

_Tears stung my eyes, but I couldn't take my eyes off the entrance. From outside, I heard him call out to ready Berk's strongest fleet and I felt my heart sink deeper. Please Dad, please come back._

From outside the Great Hall, Erwin felt his angry composure collapse for a moment. He had regretted immediately what had been said to his son, but he couldn't back down now. He was so close to the end of this dragon madness. The nest was within their grasp now. Perhaps once the evil had been defeated, he could come back home and mend his relationship with his son. _If _he ever came back home.

But that would have to wait. Erwin left the Great Hall and his son behind.

\---

Armin stood above the docks, watching the Vikings below him load their ships to the brim with weapons and supplies. He heard his father shouting orders and charting their course: a voyage Armin knew they wouldn't survive.

He saw Toothless, chained and muzzled, lowered onto his father's ship and bolted into place.

_I wanted so badly to run down to the docks and save Toothless, but I knew by the time I got down there, it would be too late. Even if I could fight my way to the ship, I would stand no match against the hundreds of other Vikings ready to defend my father's honor. Even Reiner, who had always been by my side since the beginning, was preparing to join my father on this impossible quest. The elders, children, and the teenagers were the only ones staying behind, watching solemnly as most of Berk prepared to embark on what would be the last mission for many of them._

Erwin turned away from the others and looked up towards the sky, noticing Armin standing above the docks. His expression softened upon seeing his son but quickly hardened once more when reminded of the events that had taken place earlier. He turned away and marched towards his boat. He approached Toothless and leaned down, lowering his voice. "Lead us home, Devil," he snarled and Toothless narrowed his eyes towards the chief.

Erwin gave the final call and the boats began departing from the docks, Armin continuing to watch helplessly from his perch. All he could do was watch. Waiting until the boats were no longer visible on the horizon.

"Hey," Annie greeted as she joined Armin's side. He didn't acknowledge her and she sighed. "This is a mess. All of it." He looked in her direction, anticipating some sort of encouraging speech. "You must feel terrible. You've lost everything: your father, your tribe, your best friend."

Armin rolled his eyes. "Thank you for summing that up." He sighed and shook his head, allowing himself to dwell in his regret and sadness. "Why couldn't I have just killed that dragon when I found him in the woods? None of this would have happened! It would have been better for everyone."

Annie nodded. "Yeah, it probably would have. Anyone on this island would have been quick to claim the honor of killing a Night Fury. So why didn't you?"

"You really expect me to have the answer to that?" She nodded and he sighed. "I don't know. I couldn't kill him."

"That's not much of answer."

Armin clenched his fists. "For the love of... You really wanna know why?" he asked angrily. "Because I'm weak. I'm a coward. I'm Armin "the Useless" Arlert. I wouldn't kill a dragon!"

"You said 'wouldn't' that time," Annie pointed out and Armin groaned in frustration.

"Why does this matter so much to you?" he demanded. "Why does any of this matter to you?"

Annie sighed, remaining composed when Armin couldn't. "Because I need to know what you're going to say. I need to know why, you of all people, had the courage to do something that no one else on Berk has done since our ancestors set foot here."

"Courage?" Armin asked, laughing bitterly. "There's nothing courageous about being the first Viking in history to not be able to kill a dragon."

Annie shrugged. "Maybe not. But there's something powerful in being the first to ride one."

_I hesitated on her words and felt my anger fade. I looked to Annie and saw sincerity in her eyes. _

"I-I wouldn't kill him because..." Armin paused and then sighed, "because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him and saw myself, Annie."

She nodded at his response, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "I bet he's pretty frightened right now. So... What are you going to do about it, Arlert?"

Armin shrugged. "I dunno. Probably something stupid."

Annie smirked. "Good, but you've already done that." She watched as an idea flashed before his eyes and he looked up at her with a new, fiercer determination than he had before.

"Then probably something crazy," Armin finished. He reached out and grabbed her hand before leading her away from the platform.

"That's the Armin I know," Annie enthused as they made their way back to the village.

\---

As the fleet quietly crept through the still waters and thick mist, Erwin kept his eyes trained on the captive Night Fury. Reiner approached his chief cautiously.

"Listen Chief," he began, "I was overhearing some of the others and they're a little concerned about this mission. Saying it's misguided and whatnot."

"Really now?" Erwin responded.

"I mean, I'm not one of them. Never! But they're just worried that you don't have a plan, per se."

"We're going to find the nest and kill every last bastard in it," Erwin said and Reiner nodded slowly.

"Ah, so the old fashion 'send them running' plan. Of course." Reiner shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "And you're positive this Night Fury is going to lead us there?"

Erwin nodded. "Armin said only a dragon can find the nest and this was the one that took him and the Leonhardt girl to it."

"Armin's been to the nest?" Reiner asked in disbelief. "Why isn't he on this ship then?" Erwin glared at Reiner. "What? It's a valid question, Sir. If he's been to the nest, he can tell us the best way to approach."

"Not when he considers these scaly monstrosities more important than the people of his island," Erwin snapped, gesturing towards Toothless, who growled softly. Erwin stopped, studying the dragon carefully as his ears began twitching. He lifted his head and searched around the mist. "We're close," Erwin concluded, stepping away from Reiner and making his way towards the wheel. He pushed the captain out of the way and began steering, keeping his eyes locked on the direction the Night Fury focused on.

They continued pushing forward in the mist and, gradually, the dragon chatter in the distance grew louder. The Vikings in the other ships began growing uneasy, clutching their weapons tightly and analyzing their surroundings carefully.

In the distance, emerging from the mist, was a large mountain. Once bustling with dragons, it was now still, but the chattering was only growing louder, to maddening levels.

Erwin's boat lurched forward as it met land. He held out his hand to stop his warriors and he stepped forward, past Toothless, who squirmed anxiously and whimpered. He took in the face of the mountain and spotted the tail of a dragon, quickly whipping away into the darkness. _This is it_, he thought. _This is where it all ends._

"We're here," he announced to his fleet.

Soft prayers began to arise from the warriors as they realized the intensity of the battle before them, each desperately hoping they'd be welcomed into Valhalla as gloriously as their ancestors had been, should they perish on the field of battle.

"What's your call, Chief," Levi asked quietly. "My men and I can scout the surrounding area." He gestured to the few Vikings beside him: Gunther, Eld, Petra, and Oruo, all warriors that had passed Dragon Training at the top of their respective classes.

"No," Erwin said. "We don't have time to scout. There's hundreds of dragons here. Thousands maybe. We need to strike while we still can."

"Then we focus our attacks towards the mountain," Levi continued. "Break it open and force them to come out."

Erwin nodded. "That's the only way to get the attention of all of them," he confirmed. "Gunther and Oruo, you two will man the catapults. Levi, we will need to set up barricades. I want you to head this up with Petra and Eld."

"Yes, Sir," Levi affirmed and motioned for his warriors to disband and perform their respective duties.

"The rest of you," Erwin called, turning towards the other warriors lingering in the following ships. "I need you to prepare for what will be your greatest fight. Many of you won't make it back to Berk, but you will cement yourself in our history for years to come. May the Gods welcome you proudly into Valhalla, should you leave us today."

The others raised their weapons in silent agreement, passing the blessing back onto their chief as well.

"What about the Night Fury?" Reiner asked and Erwin shook his head.

"Leave it here. We have no use for it anymore."

Reiner nodded and looked back towards Toothless, who warbled at him sadly. "Huh," Reiner mused quietly, taking note of the docile nature of the dragon before readying his own weapons for battle.

Erwin leapt over the side of the boat and landed into the shores of the dragons' fabled nest. Immediately, the dragon chattering ceased and Erwin looked around curiously, almost as if he were waiting for the attack to start then and there. When nothing happened, he motioned for the other Vikings to join him in preparing for their fight.

As he watched his people scramble, he couldn't help but think of Armin back and home and feel grateful that his son was safe from harm.

_Odin help us all._


	10. Chapter Nine

Viking spectators clattered into the arena, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. Armin stood near the arena entrance, straightening his armor and the helmet his father had gifted him, attempting to calm his breathing. Reiner joined his side and gripped his shoulder with a smile.

"How're you feeling?" he queried and Armin managed a weary laugh. He hadn't slept much the night prior. It was kind of hard, with Annie's kiss still lingering on his lips and cheek. There was also the looming thought of facing an angry dragon in front of the entire village and trying _not _to kill it. So much was happening. Too much.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Armin responded. Reiner chuckled and nodded affirmatively.

"I felt the same way when I killed my first dragon," he assured. "You'll get over it soon, though. Once you hear the crowds chanting your name, lopping that dragon's head off will never be easier."

"Heh... Yeah..." Armin said, fidgeting anxiously.

"Arlert," a voice called and the two boys turned around. Annie stood in the sunlight, looking quite stoic. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She eyed Reiner. "Alone?"

"Enough said," Reiner said, holding up his hands. "Good luck out there, Armin. Don't die on me, though. I still need your scrawny ass in my forge." He patted Armin's back one final time and left to join the rest of the Vikings in the stands as Annie stepped closer.

"Annie," Armin breathed out, feeling his anxieties calm in her presence.

_It felt great not to have to lie in front of her anymore. _

"You look awful," she commented bluntly. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Not one wink," Armin responded nervously, adding weak laughter to the end of his sentence that soon faltered off awkwardly. Annie frowned and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, look at me," she said and Armin obliged.

_Gods, her eyes are beautiful..._

"You're going to be okay," she continued firmly. "You have the entirety of Berk cheering you on right now."

"Well, I doubt they're going to be cheering in a few moments," Armin supplied. "But... Thanks Annie. You being here is enough."

"I'm a part of this now," Annie said. "Whether you like it or not."

She smiled at him just as Erwin's voice echoed across the arena. The two faced their chief and Armin held his breath. Annie looked over, noticing his expression shift back into worry, and she reached for his hand.

"Welcome," Erwin shouted and the Vikings cheered joyously. He laughed and waved them down to silent them. "Welcome! It's good to be able to show my face in public again!" The crowd laughed along with Erwin. "If someone had told me that in a few short weeks, Armin would go from... Well, being Armin, to placing first in Dragon Training, I would have tied him to a mast and shipped him off, for fear he'd gone mad!" The Vikings whooped and cheered once more and Erwin stood proudly before them, beaming.

_This is probably the happiest I've ever seen Dad. Ever since I've known him, he always looked disappointed. But today, among the cheers of his people, talking about the son he idealized and not the son that actually stood before him, it was as if he had finally gotten what he had wanted since I was born. Not the runt of a litter. Not a useless Viking. But a proud and true warrior who was more than capable of becoming chief when his time was over. He had gotten the son he always wanted and I was about to take that away from him._

"But here we are," Erwin continued, hushing the crowds once more. "And no one is more surprised or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking! Today, my boy becomes one of us!" Cheers erupted once more as a pit of fear sunk deeper in Armin's stomach.

"Be careful with that dragon," Annie warned softly and she released his hand.

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about," Armin admitted. "Annie, I..."

"No," Annie cut him off. "Don't doubt yourself. If anyone can change their minds, Armin, it's you. After all, you changed mine."

"Son!" Erwin called, catching Armin's attention. He locked eyes with his father and received a firm nod. "It's time."

Armin took in a deep breath and released it steadily. He gave Annie one final look and she nodded. "Promise me that if something goes wrong, you'll keep Toothless safe from them."

"I promise," Annie responded. "But you need to promise me that something won't go wrong."

Armin opened his mouth to deliver his promise but was cut off by his father.

"Son..."

"Right," Armin sighed. He gave Annie one final smile and turned to march into the arena. The gates slammed shut behind him, sealing him and his fate.

_I could hardly hear myself over the celebration of the Vikings and my father. He sat in his throne, watching me carefully. A mixture of pride and worry in his eyes. I offered him a weak smile and made my way towards the weapons rack. I picked up a shield and scanned the various deadly weapons I could select from to battle the dragon. I took the smallest: a crudely made dagger. As I faced my father again, he looked a little confused and whispered something to the Viking next to him, before asking that the gates be open to release the dragon into the arena. I puffed out my chest and got into a defensive stance, preparing for the end._

The seal on the gates cranked open slowly before a rush of wind and heat overcame Armin as a Monstrous Nightmare charged out into the open. He roared spectacularly, his entire body coated in sheets of boiling flames. Though he was on the other end of the arena from Armin, he could still feel the intense heat radiating from the dragon's body. He stepped back, bringing his shield up to protect the majority of his body.

The Monstrous Nightmare flew around the arena, latching onto the chain-link dome that kept him locked within. He hissed and shot out fire to the spectators and they scrambled, but congregated back together and resumed their excited cheering. As the dragon lowered himself back into the arena, locking eyes with Armin, the fire on his body began to dissipate. He growled lowly, eyeing Berk's heir and approaching him carefully. The cheering seemed to quiet as the Vikings held their breath.

"Hey," Armin greeted slowly. "It's okay." He dropped the dagger and shield held out his hands to attempt to calm the dragon, but it still seemed agitated, glancing between the terrified eyes of the boy and to the helmet on his head. Armin noticed this and grabbed his helmet. The Monstrous Nightmare hissed and the air around them started to get heated once more.

"What is he doing?" Erwin questioned loud enough for Armin to hear.

_I looked back up at my father one last time. I wanted to bask in his approval before I got myself disowned. I'm sorry, Dad, but it has to be done._

"I'm not one of them," Armin declared loudly and threw his helmet to the side. The dragon cocked its head curiously and Erwin stood, frowning.

"Stop the fight," he commanded, but this fell on deaf ears as Berk watched their heir do the unthinkable.

Armin approached the Monstrous Nightmare, his hand out. "No! I need you all to see this. They're not the monsters we make them out to be." The dragon inched closer, preparing to allow Armin to tame him in front of his island.

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" Erwin shouted, bringing his hammer down against the metal bars that kept the spectators from the arena. Frightened by the sudden sound, the Monstrous Nightmare roared and lurched forward, attempting to take Armin's hand clean off. Armin fell backward and pushed himself away from the dragon.

"No!" he called out as the dragon returned to its hostile nature. Armin scrambled back to his feet and dodged the wall of fire the Monstrous Nightmare spat out.

"Armin!" Annie screamed. She looked around desperately and pried an axe off the wall, using it to open the gate so she could slide underneath to run to Armin's rescue.

\---

From across Berk, Toothless perked up in his nest. He could have sworn he heard something. A cry for help maybe? He focused on the silence around him and his eyes widened in terror. He could hear the citizens of Berk exclaiming and Armin's frightened shouting.

He jumped from his resting spot and eyed the walls of the cove. It had been impossible for him to escape in the past, but he couldn't let that hold him back. Armin had done the impossible for Toothless. He had to do the same.

Toothless charged, taking a running leap and using his wings to propel him up to one of the jagged cliff faces. He latched on, digging his claws into the stone. He pulled himself up and launched himself again, this time, grabbing a hold of the edge of the cliff. He flapped his wings desperately, trying to bring himself up as he felt his hold on the edge begin to slip.

\---

_I picked up my shield and brought it in front of me as the Monstrous Nightmare unleashed another torrent of flames in my direction. It knocked me back, throwing my body into the wall. My vision went blurry as the pain coursed through my body. I tried to focus on the dragon, but it was hard when I couldn't tell exactly where it was._

"ARMIN!" Annie screamed and Armin looked in her direction. "GET OFF OF YOUR ASS!"

\---

Toothless pulled himself up and began charging towards Berk. He roared out desperately, hoping that Armin would hear him and know that he was going to be okay. He jumped on rocks and fallen trees, launching himself and trying to gain speed in any way he could.

\---

_When my vision had cleared enough to where I could gauge my surroundings, I jumped back up to my feet. I watched as Annie picked up a hammer and threw it at the dragon, taking his attention away from me. It bought me enough time to recover and figure out how I was going to get Annie out of harm's way. _

"Armin! Annie!"

Chief Erwin threw open the arena gates and motioned for the teens to join him. "This way!" he demanded. Annie, being closer, was able to slip out of the dragon's path and into Erwin's arms as he pulled her away from the fight.

Armin tried following in suit, reaching out to grab his father's outstretched hand, but was once more stopped by a wall of fire slamming into the wall next to the exit. Armin gasped and switched his direction, but was quickly tackled by the Monstrous Nightmare, who pinned Armin to the ground with his sharp talons. The dragon hissed, drawing dangerously close to Armin's face, opening his mouth to reveal rows of sharpened teeth, perfect for ripping off the faces of young, reckless, Viking teens.

Armin braced himself for the attack, turning his face away from the dragon as he heard his father screaming out for him.

A sharp, familiar whistle tore through the air, followed by someone shouting, "Night Fury! Get down!"

Armin snapped his gaze past the dragon pinning him and saw the side of the arena explode in a ball of purple fire. From the flames leapt Toothless, bearing his teeth with a protective rage in his eyes. He tackled the Monstrous Nightmare, releasing Armin from its grasp and allowing him to roll out of the way as smoke filled the arena.

The two dragons battled it out, each screeching and blowing fire towards one another as Armin watched their silhouettes roll across the arena. When the smoke had cleared, Toothless kicked the Monstrous Nightmare off of him and jumped back to his feet, putting himself in front of Armin and lowering himself to the ground, letting out a vicious snarl.

The Vikings chattered nervously, as many of them had never seen a Night Fury up close, but no one dared to enter the arena until the Monstrous Nightmare had been subdued.

Toothless shot another fireball towards the offending dragon and it roared before scattering away, retreating back to its pen. Toothless looked back at Armin, warbling proudly before Armin scrambled back to his feet and started pushing against the dragon.

"You have to get out of here," Armin pleaded desperately. "Please Toothless!" Once the threat of the Monstrous Nightmare had been cleared, the older Vikings began jumping into the arena, determined to detain the Night Fury and save their heir. Armin looked around and saw his father charging with the crowds, raising an axe. "Dad! No!"

Toothless noticed Armin's gaze and growled towards Erwin before charging towards the chief. "Toothless!" Armin shouted reaching out towards his dragon. "Stop!" Toothless didn't listen, however. In his eyes, these Vikings were Armin's enemies, and his enemies needed to be taken out. The Night Fury rammed his head against charging Vikings and bucked off those who had managed to climb atop of him. Then, he pounced and latched onto Erwin, pinning him to the ground. He got close, growling as the back of his throat began to glow.

Erwin would have been fried, had it not been for his son.

"No! No!" Armin screamed.

The rage that had consumed the dragon seemed to subside as he heard the fear and anger in his rider's voice. He swallowed the fire that welled within him and then released his pressure on Erwin, looking back towards Armin apologetically, and was surprised to see his rider giving him the same look.

Erwin punched Toothless, knocking the dragon off of him and the other Vikings charged forward once more, this time, succeeding in forcing the Night Fury to the ground.

_I ran forward to protect my friend, but felt Annie grab onto me and pull me back. I struggled against her, pleading with her to let me go and shouting to the others not to hurt Toothless. But as they had done my whole life, they ignored me. I collapsed in Annie's arms, watching helplessly as they tied Toothless up. My father got back to his feet and glared towards me. Pain and embarrassment: that's all I was to him at that moment. And as I felt my emotions slip from me, Annie kept her hold. She was the only thing keeping me grounded._

"No," Armin pleaded softly.

Erwin looked down at Toothless, who let out a final roar of protest. "Put him with the others," he demanded.

"Aye, Sir!" the Vikings agreed and Erwin began to approach Armin. He looked up fearfully towards his father and Annie released her hold, stepping away from the two. Even she was scared of the chief when he was furious.

"You're coming with me," Erwin said, glowering towards his son. "Now." He grabbed Armin's arm and yanked him up, before marching him out of the arena. Those who hadn't helped in securing the Night Fury watched mournfully from the stands. Before he left, Armin saw the somber gazes of his former classmates. Unlike the disappointed scowls he received from the adults, theirs were filled more with sympathy. Even Jean, who had given Armin nothing but hell, looked concerned.

\---

Erwin pushed Armin forward, sending his son stumbling into the darkened Great Hall. "Dad, please," Armin began, "I can explain."

"I should have known," Erwin muttered. "I should have known!" He paced angrily in front of his son, before driving his fist into a wooden supporting beam.

"I should have told you before now," Armin continued. "It's all a mess."

"You dishonored your people in the ring," Erwin shouted. "You took everything we stand for and tossed it aside like it was nothing!"

"I did it to protect them!"

"_Them_? You mean those monsters that killed your mother and have continuously attacked our village?"

"I meant all of us! Both humans and dragons!"

"Unbelievable." Erwin ran his fingers through his hair. "Unbelievable! Do you understand how many lives you put in harm's way with your actions today? You could have killed everyone in that arena! You could have killed the Leonhardt's daughter!"

"She knew the risks," Armin continued, before realizing that bringing Annie's involvement into this probably wasn't the brightest idea.

"Is she in on this too?" Erwin asked in disbelief.

"No... I mean, yes, but she didn't know until last night."

"_Last night?_ How long have you been going behind our backs?"

_Oh Gods, I can't believe this is happening. Oh Gods..._

"About a month," Armin admitted, "but..."

"Odin, what did I do to deserve this," Erwin exclaimed.

"Dad, please, listen to me! Everything we know about the dragons is wrong! They raid us because if they don't bring back enough food, they'll be eaten themselves! There's something on their island..."

Erwin perked up at the mention of this and ceased his pacing, locking onto his son. "Their island? You've been to their nest? How did you find it?"

"What?" Armin asked, "I... Toothless brought us there. Only a dragon knows how to get to the island."

Of course, this was the one time Armin had his father's full attention. He saw the realization flash in his father's eyes. "No, no, no, no," Armin began, his voice rising in panic. "Dad, wait. You don't know what you're up against!" Erwin pushed past his son and Armin turned towards him. "It's like nothing we've ever seen before. You can't win this fight, Dad! Please!" Armin rushed forward, grabbing his father's arm to pull him back, but Erwin elbowed him, knocking him to the ground.

"Enough!" Erwin shouted, facing Armin once more, rage seething in his eyes. "I've heard enough. You've already chosen your side in this, Armin. You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking."

"Dad..." Armin pleaded one last time, reaching out towards his father, but instead, he received a cold glare.

"You're not my son," Erwin spat out. He turned on his heel and marched out of the Great Hall, slamming the door shut behind him and leaving Armin alone in the darkness.

_Tears stung my eyes, but I couldn't take my eyes off the entrance. From outside, I heard him call out to ready Berk's strongest fleet and I felt my heart sink deeper. Please Dad, please come back._

From outside the Great Hall, Erwin felt his angry composure collapse for a moment. He had regretted immediately what had been said to his son, but he couldn't back down now. He was so close to the end of this dragon madness. The nest was within their grasp now. Perhaps once the evil had been defeated, he could come back home and mend his relationship with his son. _If _he ever came back home.

But that would have to wait. Erwin left the Great Hall and his son behind.

\---

Armin stood above the docks, watching the Vikings below him load their ships to the brim with weapons and supplies. He heard his father shouting orders and charting their course: a voyage Armin knew they wouldn't survive.

He saw Toothless, chained and muzzled, lowered onto his father's ship and bolted into place.

_I wanted so badly to run down to the docks and save Toothless, but I knew by the time I got down there, it would be too late. Even if I could fight my way to the ship, I would stand no match against the hundreds of other Vikings ready to defend my father's honor. Even Reiner, who had always been by my side since the beginning, was preparing to join my father on this impossible quest. The elders, children, and the teenagers were the only ones staying behind, watching solemnly as most of Berk prepared to embark on what would be the last mission for many of them._

Erwin turned away from the others and looked up towards the sky, noticing Armin standing above the docks. His expression softened upon seeing his son but quickly hardened once more when reminded of the events that had taken place earlier. He turned away and marched towards his boat. He approached Toothless and leaned down, lowering his voice. "Lead us home, Devil," he snarled and Toothless narrowed his eyes towards the chief.

Erwin gave the final call and the boats began departing from the docks, Armin continuing to watch helplessly from his perch. All he could do was watch. Waiting until the boats were no longer visible on the horizon.

"Hey," Annie greeted as she joined Armin's side. He didn't acknowledge her and she sighed. "This is a mess. All of it." He looked in her direction, anticipating some sort of encouraging speech. "You must feel terrible. You've lost everything: your father, your tribe, your best friend."

Armin rolled his eyes. "Thank you for summing that up." He sighed and shook his head, allowing himself to dwell in his regret and sadness. "Why couldn't I have just killed that dragon when I found him in the woods? None of this would have happened! It would have been better for everyone."

Annie nodded. "Yeah, it probably would have. Anyone on this island would have been quick to claim the honor of killing a Night Fury. So why didn't you?"

"You really expect me to have the answer to that?" She nodded and he sighed. "I don't know. I couldn't kill him."

"That's not much of answer."

Armin clenched his fists. "For the love of... You really wanna know why?" he asked angrily. "Because I'm weak. I'm a coward. I'm Armin "the Useless" Arlert. I wouldn't kill a dragon!"

"You said 'wouldn't' that time," Annie pointed out and Armin groaned in frustration.

"Why does this matter so much to you?" he demanded. "Why does any of this matter to you?"

Annie sighed, remaining composed when Armin couldn't. "Because I need to know what you're going to say. I need to know why, you of all people, had the courage to do something that no one else on Berk has done since our ancestors set foot here."

"Courage?" Armin asked, laughing bitterly. "There's nothing courageous about being the first Viking in history to not be able to kill a dragon."

Annie shrugged. "Maybe not. But there's something powerful in being the first to ride one."

_I hesitated on her words and felt my anger fade. I looked to Annie and saw sincerity in her eyes. _

"I-I wouldn't kill him because..." Armin paused and then sighed, "because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him and saw myself, Annie."

She nodded at his response, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "I bet he's pretty frightened right now. So... What are you going to do about it, Arlert?"

Armin shrugged. "I dunno. Probably something stupid."

Annie smirked. "Good, but you've already done that." She watched as an idea flashed before his eyes and he looked up at her with a new, fiercer determination than he had before.

"Then probably something crazy," Armin finished. He reached out and grabbed her hand before leading her away from the platform.

"That's the Armin I know," Annie enthused as they made their way back to the village.

\---

As the fleet quietly crept through the still waters and thick mist, Erwin kept his eyes trained on the captive Night Fury. Reiner approached his chief cautiously.

"Listen Chief," he began, "I was overhearing some of the others and they're a little concerned about this mission. Saying it's misguided and whatnot."

"Really now?" Erwin responded.

"I mean, I'm not one of them. Never! But they're just worried that you don't have a plan, per se."

"We're going to find the nest and kill every last bastard in it," Erwin said and Reiner nodded slowly.

"Ah, so the old fashion 'send them running' plan. Of course." Reiner shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "And you're positive this Night Fury is going to lead us there?"

Erwin nodded. "Armin said only a dragon can find the nest and this was the one that took him and the Leonhardt girl to it."

"Armin's been to the nest?" Reiner asked in disbelief. "Why isn't he on this ship then?" Erwin glared at Reiner. "What? It's a valid question, Sir. If he's been to the nest, he can tell us the best way to approach."

"Not when he considers these scaly monstrosities more important than the people of his island," Erwin snapped, gesturing towards Toothless, who growled softly. Erwin stopped, studying the dragon carefully as his ears began twitching. He lifted his head and searched around the mist. "We're close," Erwin concluded, stepping away from Reiner and making his way towards the wheel. He pushed the captain out of the way and began steering, keeping his eyes locked on the direction the Night Fury focused on.

They continued pushing forward in the mist and, gradually, the dragon chatter in the distance grew louder. The Vikings in the other ships began growing uneasy, clutching their weapons tightly and analyzing their surroundings carefully.

In the distance, emerging from the mist, was a large mountain. Once bustling with dragons, it was now still, but the chattering was only growing louder, to maddening levels.

Erwin's boat lurched forward as it met land. He held out his hand to stop his warriors and he stepped forward, past Toothless, who squirmed anxiously and whimpered. He took in the face of the mountain and spotted the tail of a dragon, quickly whipping away into the darkness. _This is it_, he thought. _This is where it all ends._

"We're here," he announced to his fleet.

Soft prayers began to arise from the warriors as they realized the intensity of the battle before them, each desperately hoping they'd be welcomed into Valhalla as gloriously as their ancestors had been, should they perish on the field of battle.

"What's your call, Chief," Levi asked quietly. "My men and I can scout the surrounding area." He gestured to the few Vikings beside him: Gunther, Eld, Petra, and Oruo, all warriors that had passed Dragon Training at the top of their respective classes.

"No," Erwin said. "We don't have time to scout. There's hundreds of dragons here. Thousands maybe. We need to strike while we still can."

"Then we focus our attacks towards the mountain," Levi continued. "Break it open and force them to come out."

Erwin nodded. "That's the only way to get the attention of all of them," he confirmed. "Gunther and Oruo, you two will man the catapults. Levi, we will need to set up barricades. I want you to head this up with Petra and Eld."

"Yes, Sir," Levi affirmed and motioned for his warriors to disband and perform their respective duties.

"The rest of you," Erwin called, turning towards the other warriors lingering in the following ships. "I need you to prepare for what will be your greatest fight. Many of you won't make it back to Berk, but you will cement yourself in our history for years to come. May the Gods welcome you proudly into Valhalla, should you leave us today."

The others raised their weapons in silent agreement, passing the blessing back onto their chief as well.

"What about the Night Fury?" Reiner asked and Erwin shook his head.

"Leave it here. We have no use for it anymore."

Reiner nodded and looked back towards Toothless, who warbled at him sadly. "Huh," Reiner mused quietly, taking note of the docile nature of the dragon before readying his own weapons for battle.

Erwin leapt over the side of the boat and landed into the shores of the dragons' fabled nest. Immediately, the dragon chattering ceased and Erwin looked around curiously, almost as if he were waiting for the attack to start then and there. When nothing happened, he motioned for the other Vikings to join him in preparing for their fight.

As he watched his people scramble, he couldn't help but think of Armin back and home and feel grateful that his son was safe from harm.

_Odin help us all._


	11. Epilogue

_It took me awhile to accept this new reality, though I still find myself occasionally wishing that this life I’m living isn’t true. My subconscious’s desperate attempts at keeping me alive felt so real. Too real. To me, Berk wasn’t just a dream. It was my life._

_In the early stages of my recovery, I would wake up early after a restless night of sleep and wander to a nearby forest, intending to check up on Toothless only to be reminded that he was non-existent. Other days, I’d enter the mess hall and ask them to feed me my normal yak’s milk and bread. I would be met with confused looks and whispers of my insanity. On more than one occasion, I’d approach someone and ask where my “father” was, only to be reminded of his death and consumed in a grief I didn’t know was possible._

_What pained me most, however, was not waking up to the sounds of dragons roaring, buildings burning, and the swords of my comrades clashing. I missed the cove, laying next to Toothless and talking about our next flight. And Annie… I missed her most._

_It’s not entirely easy to forget a life that filled me with so much joy._

_There was a day when things took a turn, however._

_I was sitting in the mess hall by myself, drinking a cup of tea and picking at a loaf of bread I had been rationed. I had a book open in front of me, but my eyes only glazed the page as I absent-mindedly planned out my day._

“Hey,” Jean said quietly, taking a seat beside Armin. “Mind if I join you?”

Armin glanced up at him and looked back down at his book. “Sure, I don’t mind, Jean.” His comrade smiled, relieved, before digging into his small bowl of undercooked oatmeal. Armin continued to nibble at his bread, occasionally glancing at Jean’s breakfast.

“You know you can go up for seconds, right?” Jean mentioned with his mouth full.

“I’m not hungry.”

Jean swallowed. “Armin, look. You can’t keep starving yourself like this.”

“Who said I was starving myself?”

Jean scoffed. “Everyone.” Armin dropped his gaze and Jean sighed. “Armin, I’m going to be honest with you. We’re all worried about you. You’re talking differently, you’re behaving unusually, and you mention _them_ as if they were our friends and not our enemies.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jean.”

“Yes, you do. You know goddamn well what I’m talking about.”

Armin sighed, meeting Jean’s eyes. “Jean… I died.” The statement felt weird coming from his mouth. He still couldn’t quite believe everything that happened. Part of him believed his friends had made it all up. “I died, had this crazy experience, and now I’m alive again. Why wouldn’t I be acting differently than usual?”

“That’s the thing,” Jean exclaimed, catching the attention of the other soldiers. “You wouldn’t! The Armin Arlert I know would’ve found a way to push past this obstacle. Not mope around in the mess hall over people who betrayed our trust or mourn the loss of someone that didn’t even exist.”

Armin slammed his hands down on the table, startling Jean. “Reiner and Bertholdt were like brothers to me!” he exclaimed. The ambient noise in the room died as everyone tuned in on Armin’s outburst. “They helped me! And protected me! And Annie was more than just a friend! They were good people, Jean!”

Jean tensed. “_They _almost killed you.”

“It doesn’t feel like they did!”

Jean grumbled under his breath, tangling his hands in his hair in a frustrated frenzy. “They betrayed us, Armin! They lied to all of us and they hurt us. They hurt you especially! How many times do we have to go over this?”

“They didn’t have a choice!” Armin argued. “And Toothless…”

Jean shook his head. “Here we go with this ‘Toothless’ thing, again.”

_I jumped from my seat, balling my fists. I don’t know why I was so enraged over a dragon that never existed, but it felt as if Jean were insulting the honor of someone like Mikasa or Eren. _

“None of you understand how much this has hurt me,” Armin shouted. “You’ve all been pathetic excuses for friends. Especially you, Jean!”

_As soon as I had said it, I immediately felt shame and regret. Jean looked shocked and hurt and I internally cursed. I covered my mouth and took a step back. “I- I’m so sorry. I didn’t…” A lump swelled in my throat and tears pricked my eyes. I turned around and bolted out of the building, before Jean could stop me._

As Armin dashed off, Jean stood from his seat. “Armin!” he shouted, reaching towards his friend, but lowering his hand when he disappeared. “Dammit,” he muttered. “Mikasa’s going to kill me.”

“What’s going on?” Eren asked, approaching Jean, tailed by Mikasa. “We heard yelling.”

Jean sighed heavily and shook his head. “Please don’t hurt me but… I think I hurt Armin.”

\---

“Armin!” Mikasa shouted, driving her fist against his door repeatedly. “Armin, please open the door!”

“I feel so bad,” Jean said, his tone remorseful. “I didn’t mean to upset him.”

“Why don’t we just break down the door,” Eren suggested. “I’m really worried.”

As the three discussed their next course of action, they were approached by Sasha. “Hey, guys,” she greeted, cocking her head curiously. “What are you guys doing?”

“We’re trying to break into Armin’s room,” Mikasa informed. “Jean lashed out at him…”

“Okay,” Jean interrupted, “first of all, I was only telling him the truth. And it wasn’t like Armin was acting rationally either!”

“You’re so stupid,” Eren scolded. “He’s still recovering. He has an excuse. _You _don’t.”

“Shut it,” Mikasa snapped, “both of you.” The two men backed down from each other and faced opposite directions.

“Well,” Sasha began, “if it helps… Armin isn’t in his room.”

“Excuse me?” Mikasa asked firmly.

“Yeah,” Sasha continued. “He asked to borrow my bow and arrows. I saw him heading toward the forest with his ODM gear.”

“You didn’t question him?” Mikasa asked in disbelief. She turned on her heel and drove her foot into the door, knocking it off of its hinges. The four soldiers infiltrated Armin’s room, stopping suddenly when they saw the chaos that inhabited it.

The window was propped open, allowing the wind to knock all of his papers from his desk onto the floor. Mikasa grabbed one of the papers that was closest to her and read its contents.

“What is it?” Eren asked, noticing a shift in her expression.

“N-nothing,” Mikasa assured, quickly tucking it within her jacket pocket. “You guys stay here and clean up his room. I’m going to go look for him.”

“Mikasa…” Eren protested, but she held up her hand.

“Please… Trust me on this. I’ll bring him back here and we can all talk then. He needs someone who can listen, Eren. You mean well, but sometimes you’re too quick to speak.”

“Too quick to speak?” Eren asked, insulted. But Mikasa didn’t stay around long enough to defend herself. She exited the room, leaving him, Jean, and Sasha in a sea of Armin’s musings. He sighed heavily and started scooping up some of the papers on the floor, stopping when something caught his eye. “Whoa, guys look at this,” he insisted, showing a drawing to the other two and they both looked at it in stunned silence.

“Is that…” Sasha began.

“A dragon,” Jean continued for her. “Toothless. God, I’m really worried about him, guys. He’s drawing his delusions.”

“And writing them,” Sasha said, outstretching a handful of papers. “Look at all of these! It’s like he’s writing a story.” She read a few of the lines quietly. “Berk? That’s the place he mentioned, right? The village he lived in with… Us?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t go through Armin’s stuff,” Eren said softly, snatching the papers from Sasha. “He’s obviously trying to cope with the fact that he died and came back as a Titan. That’s not an easy transition for anyone. I should know.”

The other two soldiers looked toward each other somberly before nodding and respectfully tidying up their friend’s room.

Meanwhile, across the town and nestled in a small forest, Armin sat on a log and held Sasha’s bow tightly. He sighed heavily and stood up before locking his sights on a tree. He brought up the bow and pulled back an arrow carefully before letting it fly through the air. It embedded itself in the trunk and Armin walked over to yank it back out.

_It has to be real, right? I mean, I’ve never been good with a bow and here I am. I hit something on my first shot. The others think I’m going crazy. Gods, what if I am going crazy? I’ve never… Died before. Is this just a part of the recovery process? Learning how to readjust? If that’s the case, why did Berk feel so real? Why does this reality feel fake? I can’t take this back-and-forth. I just want to go back to how it was before. I hate this. I hate everything about this. Why did they have to bring me back?_

Armin’s frustrations welled within him. In a moment of anger, he shouted and hurled the bow across the forest and removed the quiver from his back. “I just want to go home!” Armin shouted fiercely into the sky. As the anger began subsiding, he felt tears well up in his eyes. He wiped his face with his jacket sleeve and sniffled as he sat back down. Consumed in his own misery, he hardly noticed the snapping of twigs as someone approached.

Very gently, Mikasa placed her hand on Armin’s shoulder and he jumped, looking up at her in worry. “M-mikasa!”

“It’s okay,” she soothed. She moved around him and joined his side. “Are you okay, Armin? Answer me honestly.”

_I looked into her eyes, trying to find any hint that she was luring me into some sort of trap to get me to expose my true insanity, but Mikasa was always sincere. She never meant any harm. I shook my head._

“No,” Armin admitted. “I’m not okay. I don’t… I don’t know what’s happening to me, Mikasa.”

“We don’t either,” Mikasa responded gently. “We’re really worried about you.” A thought crossed her mind and her eyes lit up before she reached into her jacket. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to him, “I… Saw this in your room.”

Armin’s eyes fell upon the note and he blushed before looking up at Mikasa in fear. “Did you…”

“Yes,” Mikasa finished. “But just a little bit.” She placed the note in his hands. “This place is really real to you, isn’t it?” Armin nodded slowly. “Can you tell me more about it?”

Armin gave her a curious look. It had been the first time since someone seemed genuinely interested in learning more about Berk and the dragons. He locked onto the sincerity in her eyes once more and nodded.

“I guess I could.” Mikasa scooted closer and urged him to continue, watching with fierce protection and interest. “There was a place called Berk. It was twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It was located solidly on the Meridian of Misery…”

_I told her almost everything. About the war between humans and dragons. About who she was as a Viking and who the rest of our friends were. I told her about Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie and how they had been kinder in this world. I told her about Toothless and the moment I shot him down to the moment we were knocked out of the sky and fell to our presumed deaths. I enthused about flying and about her dragon that she had. And the entire time, she listened patiently and reacted genuinely to my story. She smiled when she saw my eyes light with excitement of what once was and held my hand when I recalled the more difficult moments. But most importantly, she let me talk. Not once did she interrupt me to question or challenge my beliefs._

_When I had finished the tale, she nodded slowly and pondered what had just been told to her. I worried that she was about to tell me I needed help, like so many others had, but she surprised me._

“Berk sounds wonderful,” Mikasa mused. “I wish I could have seen it.”

“I wish everyone could have,” Armin responded solemnly.

“They will soon enough,” Mikasa encouraged. “We’re still very shaken, Armin. We almost lost you and the entire Survey Corps.”

“We lost Erwin,” Armin remorsed and Mikasa nodded.

“But we still have you,” she assured. “That’s what matters now.”

Armin nodded as a silence fell between the two.

“I heard what you said,” Mikasa spoke suddenly. “About wanting to go back. Can you?”

Armin shrugged. “I’ve tried. I thought when I slept at night, I could go, but all I have are nightmares about… What happened.” Armin shuddered as he recalled the nights where his subconscious was consumed in flames and consistently woke him up in a cold sweat.

“What if you try here,” Mikasa suggested. “I’ll protect you.”

“I can’t sleep right now,” Armin argued and Mikasa sighed.

“I know you’re exhausted. You haven’t been taking care of yourself like you should be. Just a short nap, okay? Even if you can’t go back to Berk, I still want you to get some rest.”

They locked eyes again for a moment. He tried to protest against her, but once more, she proved undefeated. Nothing stopped Mikasa from channeling her maternal instincts. She patted her lap and motioned for Armin to lay down. He did so, resting against her and looking straight ahead as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was a soothing gesture and one that quickly relaxed Armin.

“Thank you,” he yawned. Mikasa smiled.

“Rest,” she commanded softly and Armin obediently gave in.

\---

_At first, all I could feel were the flames. They coursed along my body, causing my mind to writhe in pain. I called out into the darkness, but no one was there. I felt myself falling, but I couldn’t quite see where to. Along the way, all the pain that I had been feeling around my body concentrated on my left leg. I tried screaming out again and was met with echoed voices._

“Armin! ARMIN!”

_Erwin? Dad?_

Ash fell upon the dazed Vikings as they slowly came to, emerging from the smoke of the Red Death’s spectacular explosion. Among the Vikings, Chief Erwin roamed around anxiously, screaming out for his son and was met with nothing but bone-chilling silence.  
  


“SON!” Erwin shouted one last time, his voice cracking with fear. And that’s when he saw it. The smoke began settling on a dark figure lying in the debris, curled in on itself: the glorious Night Fury. But absent from his back was the one Erwin sought most. “No… No! Armin!” He ran toward the dragon and stopped when he saw it move. It groaned painfully and shifted its body. Metal creaked tiredly and Erwin locked onto the beast’s tail, wrapped in bent, charred rods of iron. The saddle that had adorned its back was scorched to Hell and shredded to pieces.

Erwin’s heart sunk, forcing him to his knees. “Oh, son,” he whispered, tears pooling in his eyes. He dropped his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I did this.”

Berk quietly trailed behind, watching their chief with reverence. Their eyes fell upon the warbling Night Fury, desperately hoping by some miracle, their heir had survived. But there was no sight of him in the debris. Nothing.

Annie pushed herself to the front of the crowd. “Let me through,” she growled and the Vikings around her submitted. As she saw the scene unfold before her, she stopped as if she had hit a stone wall. She gasped, unable to find the words to scream out in anguish.

Erwin wept softly before the Night Fury, rising him from his slumber. Toothless let out a soft growl before locking eyes with Berk’s distressed chief.

“I’m so sorry,” Erwin sobbed. “I’m so, so sorry.”

The Night Fury’s eyes widened slightly at the remorse coming from the chief who had once tried to slaughter him and had been the topic of Armin’s frustrations during their late-night flights around the village in what felt like an eternity ago. Though this man had saved his life, Toothless couldn’t quite find a reason to trust him. Until now, when the extent of his compassion for his son was revealed.

Slowly, the dragon unfurled his wings, revealing a singed Armin, cradled protectively in the beast’s hold. Erwin gasped audibly and crawled forward, reaching out toward his son, but stopped suddenly to make eye contact with the dragon before him, as if asking for permission. Toothless released his hold and Erwin caught Armin before he touched the ground. He brushed his messy, blond hair out of his face and studied him, trying to see any remnants of life. Removing his helmet, he pressed his ear against Armin’s chest, listening intently.

It was faint. But it was there.

Erwin broke into a sob of relief and turned to Toothless. “He’s alive! You brought him back alive!”

The Vikings began cheering and holding onto each other, praising this glorious blessing from the God’s above. Annie sighed in relief, making a mental note to beat Armin up later for scaring her so badly, but couldn’t stop herself from breaking into a smile. Jean whooped beside her, forcing himself into a group hug among the rest of the trainees as they celebrated their friend’s survival. For the first time since they had set foot on that island, they all felt victorious.

Toothless purred softly, leaning forward to sniff Armin and press his head against his unconscious rider. Erwin smiled and slowly reached out, resting his hand on the dragon’s head. The two made eye contact and Erwin nodded.

“Thank you,” he said, “for bringing my son back to me.”

Toothless growled lowly before resting back into the ground. Erwin continued to cradle Armin as Levi joined his side. He rested his hand on the chief’s shoulder and frowned suddenly. “Well,” he began, “he brought back _most _of him.”

Erwin shook his head and smiled warmly toward Armin. “He’s coming home. That’s all that matters.” He brought his son into a close, comforting hug and the Vikings behind him continued their cheers. Even the dragons, Hookfang, Stormfly, Barf, Belch, and Meatlug let out content roars and stood close to the Vikings, who, although startled at first, quickly warmed up to the docile creatures.

“Let’s go home,” Erwin resolved softly.

\---

_I don’t know how long I had been out, but I could tell my surroundings felt different. Still warm, but comfortable. I heard faint commotion outside, but it was difficult to decipher over the creature in my room letting out desperate chuffs, desiring affection. When I didn’t respond, it crept onto my bed and began sniffing me, as if to check to see if I were still alive. Which, at this point, I honestly shouldn’t have been. I began to awaken and I yawned tiredly, locking eyes with my flying companion, looking just as banged up as I felt._

“Hey Toothless,” Armin greeted softly. “How are you-“ Toothless stepped on Armin’s stomach, causing the young Viking to lurch forward in pain as the dragon immediately fell back on the floor, sitting and wiggling with excitement.

“Ow!” Armin exclaimed. “Hey, what was that…” Armin paused when he gathered his surroundings. “We’re in my house,” he concluded slowly and then his eyes fell back onto Toothless. “_You’re _in my house. Oh Gods, does Dad know?”

Toothless continued to jitter and pounced around the room, shaking the house, much to Armin’s horror. “Toothless, stop! If Dad sees you…” The dragon interrupted him by knocking over a bookcase and clawing his way onto the rafters, peering down at his rider with glee. “Toothless! Stop!”

Armin rotated in his bed, ready to chase the dragon off for his misbehavior, but stopped suddenly when a familiar pain coursed through his left leg. He winced and exclaimed before gradually removing his fur blanket, suppressing the gasp that came to his lips.

Toothless’s energy faltered when he saw his rider’s expression of dread. Slowly, he lowered himself back to the ground. As a million things ran through Armin’s mind, the Night Fury approached his bedside and gave Armin an encouraging purr.

_Vikings lost their limbs all the time on Berk. It was one of the many consequences of the war with the dragons. It was uncommon, however, for the teens to fall victim to amputation. Once again, I seemed to prove to be the exception. My left foot had been replaced with a contraption that rivaled the other prosthetics on the island; instead of being just a wooden stick, the creator of mine had incorporated a metal foot in the design. I wanted to admire the creativity, but I couldn’t quite get over the shock of losing my foot. The first fear that crossed into my mind was that I’d never be able to ride Toothless again._

Toothless sniffed the prosthetic curiously and looked up at Armin, whose only expression was that of fear and worry. The dragon growled again, gesturing for Armin to get out of bed.

“Give me a second, Bud,” Armin asked, his voice trembling. He slowly brought his legs over his bedside and set them individually on the ground, first his intact leg and second, the prosthetic. Light pressure on the device seemed painless at first. Armin nodded slowly and breathed out before pushing himself upwards, placing most of his weight on his right leg.

Toothless immediately jumped to his side, offering his body as support. Armin denied it at first, confident in the current lack of pain. The second he took his first step, however, the pain returned and shot through his entire body, causing him to yelp and collapse right into Toothless, who had moved just in time to save his rider. “Thanks, Bud,” Armin said through gritted teeth.

_I had never felt pain this severe before. I considered going back to bed and waiting it out, hoping that it would get better within time, but Toothless insisted we move forward, out of the house. I protested fiercely, asking for him to turn around, but from the corner of my eye, I saw his tail gently sweeping across the floor. The prosthetic I had made for him was gone. The irony of the situation pulled a smile from me and gave me the confidence to push through the pain, just as Toothless had done when we first met._

“Alright,” Armin sighed, patting Toothless gently. “Let’s do this.”

The Night Fury purred and took gentle steps forward as Armin hopped beside him, putting very light pressure on his leg. When they had reached the door, Armin carefully pushed off his dragon and hobbled forward, grabbing the handle and throwing it open.

Immediately, a Monstrous Nightmare flew in front of the door, roaring loudly. Armin yelped and slammed the door shut, leaning against it as flashbacks of his first dragon fight played vividly in his mind. “Toothless,” he commanded, “stay here.”

The dragon cocked his head and watched as Armin opened the door in time to see Jean upon the back of a Monstrous Nightmare – Hookfang. He whooped cheerfully as he and his dragon zoomed around Berk, carrying lumber to help with the repairs across the village. Toothless rejoined Armin’s side and brought him out into the sunlight. Armin covered his eyes and as his vision adjusted, he dropped his hand in awe.

Once a grey and dreary town, Berk had blossomed into a bustling hub of activity. Dragons perched on roofs casually and Vikings sauntered below, followed by even more dragons. In the sky, the original dragon riders flew around excitedly, calling out to one another. There was someone missing though: Annie.

“I knew it,” Armin breathed out. “I’m dead!”

Toothless let out a chortle as a weight fell upon Armin’s shoulder. He looked up to see his father, beaming towards their reborn village.

“No,” Erwin chuckled, “but you gave it your best shot.” He looked toward his son, a genuine smile spreading across his lips. “What do you think?”

“It’s… It’s incredible!” Armin exclaimed. Erwin laughed gently and nodded toward Toothless, who stepped away from the two as the chief took his turn to support Armin while they stepped forward to get a better look at their progress. Toothless sat patiently in front of the house, watching his rider with a fond expression.

“Thor, I’d never thought I’d live to see the day when dragons and humans could live in harmony,” Erwin sighed happily. “It didn’t seem possible, but, as it turns out, all we needed was a little more of,” he motioned to Armin, “this.”

Armin smiled. “You just gestured to all of me.” Erwin chuckled loudly and nodded, squeezing his son in a one-armed hug.

“There he is!” Reiner approached the two, shouldering a wrapped bundle of leather and metal, beaming confidently. “You’ve missed quite a few of your shifts, my friend.”

“Well,” Armin began with a shrug, “almost dying will do that to you.” Reiner burst into laughter.

“Seems someone got a bit wittier in their near-visit to Valhalla, huh?” Armin smiled. “It’s good to have you back, Armin. How’s the leg treating you? That’s my handiwork, you know. I studied some of your notes for your dragon’s saddle you made. Speaking of which,” he removed the bundle from his shoulder and offered it to Armin. “I made it compatible with your new leg.”

_I looked down in wonder at the contraption in my arms and felt my heart swell with appreciation. I don’t know what I would have done if I wasn’t able to ride Toothless anymore._

“Thank you, Reiner,” Armin exclaimed. He handed off the gear to Erwin and then moved to hug his friend, who seemed surprised at the affectionate gesture, but returned it gladly.

“Just helping a friend out,” Reiner assured, “like you’ve done for us many times.”

“Arlert!”

The two men pulled away from each other and Reiner took his turn to support Armin as Annie walked through the grass toward them.

“Annie, you’re okay,” Armin began, his voice lined with relief. He started to move toward her, but she stopped him by driving her fist into his bicep. He grunted in pain and Reiner let out a laugh as Erwin watched the exchange curiously.

“That’s for scaring me,” Annie said firmly, locking eyes with Armin.

“Wh-what?” Armin said quickly, not noticing the worried expression in her eyes morph into pure happiness. “Is it always going to be this way with you, because –“

She cut him short by grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a kiss. They lingered for a moment, earning an impressed cheer from Reiner. When they broke apart, Annie grinned at Armin’s dumbfounded, yet pleased, expression. “That was for everything else,” she supplied softly.

“I could get used to this,” he reasoned quietly and Annie broke out into a genuine laugh, one Armin had never quite heard before. She pulled him away from Reiner and into a hug.

“Get a room you two!” Jean, tailed by the other riders and their respective dragons, was walking up the hill. Jean was the first to reach Armin, outstretching his hand in a show of respect. “Glad to see you’re still with us,” he said and Armin took his hand.

“I’m glad you guys are still here too,” he responded. As Jean stepped aside, he was quickly replaced by Mikasa and Eren tackling the young heir into a tight hug.

“Don’t you _ever _scare us like that again,” Eren scolded and Mikasa nodded.

“Don’t worry,” Reiner replied, “Annie already punished him for that.” In a retort, Annie drove her fist into Reiner’s bicep and the taller man yelped and stepped away from her.

“Come on,” Sasha sighed dramatically, “enough mushy stuff! Let’s go flying! All of us!”

Erwin stepped forward, grabbing his son’s shoulder once more. “Armin’s not going to be doing any flying for a while,” he said firmly, and Armin looked up in protest.

“But…”

“Son, you can barely walk on your own,” Erwin continued. “You’ve done so much for Berk already. Take it easy just for a little longer, okay?”

_I wanted to argue with him. I had been itching to get back into the skies since I woke up. But I knew my father was right. There was no way I could properly fly Toothless with my leg in its current condition. I didn’t like the idea of it, but I accepted my literal grounding._

“We’ll fly with you when you’re ready, Armin,” Marco assured.

“Yeah,” Armin said with a nod. “You guys go and enjoy yourself. Toothless,” he looked back toward the Night Fury, “you can take me back to my bed, right?” He growled an affirmation. Armin bid his friends farewell as they departed and he began limping back to his house when Annie caught him by the arm.

“No way,” she said firmly. “You’re not going to heal any faster if you just lie in bed all day.” Her hand drifted down to his and she gently squeezed it before turning toward Erwin. “I’ll keep an eye on him, Chief.”

Erwin met the younger warrior’s eyes and nodded. “Go on ahead, you two. Just try not to do anything too reckless. Can’t have you losing any more limbs.” He gave Armin a firm pat on his shoulder before making his way down to the village. Annie watched him carefully, making sure he was out of earshot before she turned and faced Armin with a growing smile. “Let’s go.”

She gently pulled him along as he limped after her, looking back toward Toothless, who remained casually seated at the front of the house. “Where are you taking me?”

“We can’t take off when the Chief of Berk is standing right there, now can we?” Annie asked.

“You mean…?”

“Oh no, you’re still not flying. Your dad was right; you need to take it easy. But I bet you can manage flying _on _a dragon if someone else were piloting.” Armin continued to look at her curiously. “Oh, for Thor’s sake, you and I are going on a flight together. Come on, Arlert, it’s like you’ve never been on a date before.”

“A… Date?” Armin broke into a goofy grin.

“Man, you really are hopeless, aren’t you?” Annie mused, gently nudging him with her shoulder as they continued through the grass and toward Stormfly, patiently waiting for the two riders. “You did promise to take me on a date after the whole ‘Red Death’ ordeal.”

“Oh, so that’s what we’re calling the dragon?”

“Yeah, I guess. Marco came up with the name and we voted on it while you were out.” Annie gently stroked Stormfly’s snout, earning a quiet purr from the dragon as she lowered to the ground. “Ladies first.”

“Then shouldn’t you be the one going up first?” Armin asked, leaning against the dragon.

“Just get on her before I break your back.”

“Y-yes ma’am!” Armin quickly grabbed onto the back of the Nadder but was having trouble pulling himself up. He rested his head against the dragon to wait for the pain in his leg to die down, feeling slightly embarrassed. Annie placed her hand on his shoulder and met his gaze before gently helping him get onto the dragon before pulling herself up.

“You may want to hold on,” she said over her shoulder as Armin grabbed a hold of her waist. “Stormfly is pretty fast.”

“I think I can handle it,” Armin responded proudly. “After all, Toothless _is _the fastest dragon on Berk.”

“Are you challenging us, Arlert?”

“Maybe.”

She laughed again, sending Armin’s heart soaring. “Oh, you’re so on!” She leaned down and patted the dragon. “Let’s show him what we got, Stormfly!” The Deadly Nadder roared, replicating her rider’s confidence, and shot into the sky. Armin tightened his grip, causing Annie to laugh out victoriously.

“Okay,” he admitted, “okay. Stormfly can fly really fast.”

“Told ya!”

“But, again, not as fast as Toothless.”

Annie shot him a glare. “Do you want me to drop you, Arlert?” she asked. “Because Stormfly’s also really good at playing fetch.”

Armin laughed nervously and glanced down to the Nadder, who shared the same ferocious glow of determination in her eyes as her rider did. “I’ll… Uh, take your word for it, Annie. But the second I’m able to fly again, we’re having a race and settling this once and for all.”

“You’re on.”

_Stormfly flew faster and higher, turning and spinning excitedly. We both laughed, grateful for this moment of fun we were having. The pain in my leg didn’t bother me nearly as much with Annie by my side. I didn’t want to wake up and leave her again. I wanted to stay in this world for as long as I possibly could._

_Because this is Berk. It’s twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It’s located solidly on the Meridian of Misery, or something like that. To be completely honest, I don’t care where Berk is on any map. All you need to know is that Berk is unique. It’s its own classification of society. While other places may have dogs, cats, sheep, or even Titans as pets, us Berkians have something that makes us the best of the best._

_Berk has dragons. And now I know for sure that these dragons are more than just_

** _A Distant Memory_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


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